Pretzfeld Castle

The castle is first mentioned in a document in 1145 as being in the possession of the Lords of Pretzfeld. In 1375, ownership passed to the Freien von Wiesenthau. In 1522, the property was acquired by the Lords of Stiebars for 4,434 fl. as a male fief. In 1525, the castle was destroyed by the Ebermannstadt peasant mob during the Peasants' War and subsequently rebuilt. From 1589-91, the castle chapel was built (Rococo altar by the Bamberg court painter Schübel). In 1595, the castle was renovated. In 1631, the castle was plundered during the Thirty Years' War. In 1677, the Renaissance oriel window was built. From 1710-29, under Johann Adam Stiebar, the castle was rebuilt. In 1754, the Bavarian Minister Count von Seinsheim received the castle as a fief. During this time, the castle acquired its current form. In 1830, the castle was visited by King Ludwig I of Bavaria and his consort. In 1852, the Nuremberg merchant Kohn bought the entire property. Through marriage, the castle passed to the Herrmann family. The artist Prof. Curt Herrmann created many of his Neo-Impressionist paintings here. Today, the castle is still owned by the Herrmann family. From 1946-2004, the castle was leased to Siemens AG. Until 1969, it housed a research laboratory under the direction of Dr. Spenke. A significant result was the introduction of silicon as a semiconductor material. The technical development of high-blocking diodes, transistors, and thyristors was accompanied by fundamental theoretical work to understand the physics of the components.