Schöneck Castle

Schloss Schöneck stands on a rock in the Ehrbachklamm gorge in the municipal area of Boppard (Herschwiesen district) in the Hunsrück region.

Schöneck was built around 1200 by the imperial ministerialis Konrad von Boppard as an imperial castle. His descendants called themselves Knights of Schöneck and inhabited the castle until their extinction in 1508. The family consisted of several lines who lived together in the castle (Ganerbenburg). The Gallscheid court was also administered from Schöneck.

In the Eltz Feud from 1331–1336, the castle was part of the defensive and offensive alliance against the Archbishop and Elector of Trier, Balduin of Luxembourg. In 1354, the castle became a fief of Kurtrier.

In 1488, Schöneck was occupied by Palatinate troops in the so-called Beilstein War and later briefly returned to Kurtrier.

From 1508, the castle changed hands several times but remained a Trier fief. Between 1560 and 1646, Schöneck was pledged to a collateral line of the Lords of Eltz. Between 1646 and approximately 1677, Schöneck belonged to the so-called Soeternsche Fideikommiss, a foundation for the administration of the possessions of the noble family von Sötern. The mastermind behind the transfer was the Archbishop of Trier, Philipp Christoph von Sötern. After Baroque renovations in the mid-17th century, Schöneck was called Schloss Schöneck.

In 1805, the complex came into private ownership. Subsequently, several new buildings were erected. Between 1846 and 1848, a whey cure institution was temporarily operated there.

In 1912, the painter Wilhelm Steinhausen acquired the complex. Since 1922, it has been owned by a family foundation.