Kissing Castle

The former Kissing Castle ("Bäckerwirt") was originally the seat of the judge of the Hofmark Kissing in today's Aichach-Friedberg district in Swabia. The three-story building with a gabled roof was built around 1715 on behalf of the Jesuits and was converted into an inn in the early 19th century.

Around 1500, Captain Konrad Bering acquired the property from Altomünster Monastery and built a residential house on it. A previous building had to be demolished for this purpose. On July 15, 1530, Emperor Charles V, on the occasion of the Diet of Augsburg (Augsburg Confession), participated in a banquet in the garden of the property together with 17 princes.

In 1560, Melchior Manlich from Augsburg began a new construction. Just three years later, the indebted builder had to sell the house to Hieronimus Miesing, who – also due to over-indebtedness – passed it on to Melchior Ilsung. Ilsung was finally able to complete the construction. Architecturally significant is the involvement of the young Elias Holl (1595), who reports about it in his autobiography ("...and in his castle a graceful garden wall on round pillars and arches, also a beautiful aisle newly built from the ground up").

In 1603, the Augsburg Jesuits bought the property from the Ilsung family. Around 1703/04, the order had the preserved building erected in simple Baroque forms. At the same time, the new construction of the nearby Mergenthau Castle estate also took place. The stately property below the parish church of St. Stephan was assigned to the Hofmark judge as a residence and official seat. On the upper floor, some living quarters were kept ready for the order brothers. The design is likely to have come from Hans Georg Mozart, whose involvement in Mergenthau is documented by a copy of the building invoice.

Already in 1773, the Jesuit order was dissolved. The small castle came into the possession of the Catholic Study Fund Augsburg, which finally had it auctioned off in 1809. The master baker Josef Merkl received the bid and set up a bakery and an inn in it. Since this time, the building has borne the house name "Bäckerwirt".

In 1970, during a renovation, the original staircase with its wooden baluster railing was removed. However, the stucco work in the rooms on the second floor and the Baroque door frames could be preserved. During a later exterior renovation, the original facade structure could be largely restored. Today, the small castle still houses a catering establishment.