Harteneck Castle

The origins of Harteneck Castle date back to the 13th century, when the castle was presumably built by the Herter von Hertneck, a free imperial knightly family, during the Interregnum (1254–1273). The first documentary mention of a "Herther de Herthenegge" appears in 1270. The Herters sold the castle in 1440 to the Lords of Baldeck, who in turn sold it to the Duchy of Württemberg in 1536. In 1554, the Herters received the complex back as a Württemberg hereditary fief, but lost it again to the Württembergers in 1590. After several changes of ownership, Harteneck came into the possession of the Lords of Kniestedt in 1705, who had it rebuilt in the Baroque style. In 1767, the castle was sold to the Ludwigsburg Hospital and a year later incorporated into the city of Ludwigsburg.