Otting Castle

Otting Castle is a two-story complex, its main building featuring a corner tower. It is located in a slightly elevated position on the outskirts of Otting, on the edge of the Nördlinger Ries in the Donau-Ries district.

The village of Otting, first mentioned in writing in 830, possessed a medieval castle, built in the 11th and 12th centuries and later destroyed. In 1610, the current castle was built next to the old castle ruins. In the following period, several families owned the castle: Schenk von Stauffenberg, von Freyberg, von Westernach, the Späth family from Zwiefalten, and von Rehling. In 1816, the castle became the property of Baron Friedrich von Schönfeld. The latter was the half-brother of King Max I of Bavaria. In 1817, the baronial family von Schönfeld was elevated to the rank of count. From then on, the lineage called itself von Otting und Fünfstetten. In the revolutionary year 1848, Maximilian Joseph Count von Otting und Fünfstetten sold the area to the Munich manufacturer Oskar Kürzel, who in 1899 sold the castle to the Allgemeine Deutsche Creditversicherungsanstalt. From 1904, the castle owners changed several times. For 17 years (1905-1921), there was a brewery in the castle.

The castle chapel Mater dolorosa, built in the 18th century and owned by the Otting parish since 1930, was one of the most important pilgrimage churches in northern Swabia in the 19th century. Gravestones adorned with coats of arms commemorate the former castle owners.

Today, the castle is partly owned by three families and houses four holiday apartments and a cafe with a large lake terrace. The castle owners are endeavoring to restore the old castle garden to its historic form.

Since 2009, the holiday apartments are no longer rented out. The café/restaurant is closed. The castle garden has not yet been renovated. Its outer walls are in danger of collapsing.