To be privately owned
CastleKirchlauter
Kirchlauter Castle
Kirchlauter Castle, also known as Guttenberg's Moated Castle, forms the center of the village of Kirchlauter (administrative community Ebelsbach) in the Haßberge district in Lower Franconia. The L-shaped Baroque complex is in good condition and is still inhabited.
In 1511, Moritz von Guttenberg received Kirchlauter as a fief from the Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg. In the 16th century, the Lords of Guttenberg built the so-called Old Castle southwest of the later castle complex, which today serves as the administrator's house. From 1689, the Würzburg Prince-Bishop Johann Gottfried von Guttenberg began the new construction of the moated castle, which was partially rebuilt in the 18th century. The Barons of Guttenberg inhabited the complex until 1968. Today, the castle belongs to the Counts of Stauffenberg, to whom it fell through Countess Elisabeth, a born Baroness von und zu Guttenberg. Towards the end of the Second World War, Kirchlauter was shelled by the Americans. The castle also suffered major damage, which has long since been repaired.
Description+
The two three-story castle wings stand on a square plinth and are surrounded by a lined (masonry) moat. Access is provided by a two-bay sandstone bridge with a balustrade and masonry pillars. The gables of the brick-covered gabled roofs are completed on the west and south by two-story blinds adorned with volutes and obelisks. The other structuring is kept simple. The profiled window frames, cornices, and rusticated corner bands have been left in natural stone, while the wall surfaces are plastered white. The portal is located on the courtyard side of the east wing and is flanked by a pair of Ionic columns. Above it, two angelic figures hold the sandstone coat of arms of the episcopal builder. In the first upper floor of the east wing, the Ancestral Hall with its rich stucco decoration (around 1730) and numerous oil portraits is preserved.
Heinrich Zimmer, a master from the circle of Antonio Petrini, is recorded as the master builder and architect. A walled park with some Baroque garden figures and an orangery extends around the castle.
Southwest of the main castle lies the Old Castle. The two-story building has a half-timbered upper floor with a corner oriel. The castle district is completed by the farm buildings; the marital coat of arms of Guttenberg-Horneck (around 1720) is attached to the granary.
Kirchlauter Castle is also a venue for the concert series "Music in Franconian Castles" and "Music Magic Franconia".
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 50.0432, 10.7178