Michelbach Castle

Michelbach Castle in Michelbach an der Bilz, in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, Baden-Württemberg, was built in the early 17th century as a dower house for the Schenken von Limpurg. However, the castle was never used for its intended purpose and was never occupied by a noble family. Instead, the Small Castle was furnished with living and official rooms for noble officials, and the main building was used for agricultural purposes. The castle gradually fell into disrepair and was only restored from 1926 by Ludwig Wunder to establish a vegetarian country boarding school. Today, it houses part of the Evangelical School Center Michelbach.

Michelbach an der Bilz originally had no permanent noble residence. The place belonged to the Schenken von Limpurg at least from the 14th century. Schenk Friedrich VII von Limpurg assigned the place to his first wife Margarethe von Erbach as a dower in 1558. After Margarethe's death, he assigned the place in the marriage contract of 1567 to his second wife Agnes von Limpurg-Gaildorf-Schmiedefeld. However, she took her dower residence in Obersontheim and ceded Michelbach to her son, Wilhelm Schenk von Limpurg, so that he could provide a dower for his wife Dorothea zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg, born Countess zu Reuß-Plauen, whom he married in 1606. In 1608, the Schenken von Limpurg, who at that time managed their property as a condominium of seven brothers and had to build several dower houses, decided to first undertake the construction of a simple dower dwelling in Michelbach. Schenk Wilhelm wanted to engage the Grisons masters Gilg Vältin and Hans Rigeis as master builders, but they were already booked for years with commissions. However, Vältin and Rigeis mediated a third Grisons, Nicolas Androi from Roveredo, who presented plans for a dower building in Obersontheim in the spring of 1609 and concluded a contract for work with the Schenken von Limpurg in June 1609. Androi and his retinue moved to Michelbach during the summer months in the following years and supervised the construction work, which was largely awarded to local craftsmen. Schenk Wilhelm, meanwhile, worked in Göppingen until 1618 and then lived with his wife again in Obersontheim, from where the completion of Michelbach Castle was pushed forward. According to the preserved accounts, the expansion of the castle continued until at least 1628.

The castle consists of a three-story rectangular main building with a volute gable and stair tower, as well as the two-winged, two-story annex called the Small Castle. However, it remained uninhabited, as it was not needed as a residence and Dorothea, who was favored as a dower resident, died in 1631 before Schenk Wilhelm. Schenk Wilhelm died in 1633; after his death, there were lengthy disputes over his inheritance, and ultimately the Princes of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg were later favored with the castle.

The castle probably survived the Thirty Years' War without major damage. While the main building remained empty, official rooms and a service apartment for the forest master of the Michelbach office were set up in the Small Castle. At times, a widow from the Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg family also had her dower residence in the same building. In the 18th century, there were probably noble intentions to use the main building, which can be inferred from alterations in the court parlor from that period. Nevertheless, the castle was not occupied, so the main building served mostly as a hay barn and granary, essentially repurposed. In the early 20th century, the sale for demolition was finally considered.

In 1926, the reform educator Ludwig Wunder leased the dilapidated castle from the Counts of Löwenstein for 50 years, provisionally restored it, and founded a vegetarian country boarding school there, which existed until 1945. Among the conditions of use was the obligation to renovate the castle within nine years, which Wunder managed in half the time. In 1940, Wunder also had the attic of the castle converted to gain more space for classrooms and student rooms. After the Second World War, many of the refugees and displaced persons streaming into Michelbach were initially quartered in the castle. In 1946, the newly founded Teacher Training College Michelbach/Bilz took up residence in the castle. The school was converted into an Evangelical Aufbaugymnasium in 1954. In the first years, the school could only use part of the castle, as refugees were still quartered there, and after their departure, the buildings also had to be extensively renovated. Later, the school was able to occupy the entire castle and also built some new buildings in the vicinity of the castle. The castle is still part of the Evangelical School Center Michelbach today.