Rumpenheim Castle (Offenbach)

The origins of the castle date back to 1678, when Johann Georg Seifert von Edelsheim, a high-ranking official of the County of Hanau, erected a manor house. He had received the Rumpenheim estate as a fief four years earlier, in recognition of his services in the financial rehabilitation of the county. This manor house formed the core of the later castle. In 1768, after the County of Hanau-Münzenberg had fallen to Hesse-Kassel, Prince Karl of Hesse-Kassel acquired the estate from the von Edelsheim family. He had the manor house expanded into a princely country seat in 1771. After the death of his mother, Landgravine Maria, who had used the castle until then, Karl sold it to his brother Friedrich in 1781. Friedrich expanded the complex into its current three-winged form between 1787 and 1788. In the early 19th century, the two corner pavilions on the Main side were added. The castle park was redesigned by 1839, and in the following decades, a stable and servants' quarters were built. In the 19th century, Rumpenheim Castle was a meeting place for European personalities, including Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and Tsar Alexander III of Russia.