Schmiedelfeld Castle

The origins of Schloss Schmiedelfeld date back to the 12th century, when a spur castle was built here. This served as the ancestral seat of the Lords of Schmiedelfeld, a ministerial family of Staufer origin, first documented in 1172. After the extinction of this family, the castle changed hands several times, including the Counts of Oettingen and the Lords of Hohenlohe, before it came into the possession of the Lords of Limpurg around 1400. In the course of a division of the Limpurg county in 1441, Schmiedelfeld fell to the Gaildorf line. A further division in 1557 made Schmiedelfeld the residence of a new collateral line, which built a Renaissance castle next to the old one. After the extinction of this line in 1682 and a long inheritance dispute, the castle came to Sofia Eleonore, who freed it from feudal obligations. In 1739, the existing castle was demolished and replaced by a palatial Baroque building.