Solms Castle

Solms Castle (also Venningen Castle) is a villa in the castle style on the Friesenberg above the Kurhaus. It is the earliest large Gründerzeit building in Baden-Baden and influenced various other villas in the city area, such as Villa Wegeler, Villa Kann in Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße, Villa Stroh above Lichtental, and in the east of the city, the Ludwig-Wilhelm-Stift and Haus Magnetberg.Building Description

In the Romantic period, the castle type first appeared in villa architecture. The defensive function of castles no longer played a role. It was merely about giving the villas a castle-like appearance. The neo-Gothic Solms Castle perfectly corresponds to a villa of the castle type.

A small outer bailey with a gate is situated in front of the main castle. The main castle is richly decorated with towers and gables. It is dominated by a central tower equipped with four round corner turrets. Leisberg stones were used for the construction of the villa. The decorations, windows, and door frames are made of Weissenbach sandstone.

Prince Georg von Solms-Braunfels was only 36 years old when he bought the property on the Friesenberg. Solms Castle was built on a hillside terrace according to plans by Edwin Crones and Edwin Opler and under the direction of master builder Belzer between 1873 and 1887. The interior work began in 1878 and continued until the Prince's death in 1888, who probably never saw his castle in its completed state. During a stay in Baden-Baden, he resided in the Russian Court. After the death of the builder, the castle was taken over by his wife, who, however, showed little interest, as did her children. Thus, Solms Castle was sold in 1897 to Baron Karl von Venningen-Ullner and his wife. In 1958, the furnishings were auctioned off. In 1962, the Baden-Württemberg Spa and Health Resort Administration took over Solms Castle and made it available to the French Consulate until 1992. Around 1970, there was a discussion about whether Solms Castle should make way for a modern sanatorium. However, it was decided against it. Important outbuildings were in such poor condition in 1982 that they were demolished despite being listed as historical monuments. In 1995, Solms Castle was renovated for 1.4 million Euros. Since then, it has been used by Baden-Baden Kur & Tourismus GmbH and Festival Baden-Baden GmbH, as well as various administrations.