Stadtilm Castle

The origins of the current building date back to 1275, when Count Günther VII of Käfernburg relocated the Cistercian monastery of Saalfeld to Stadtilm. In 1287, the monastery was consecrated, with Irmengard, the Count's daughter, becoming its first abbess. After approximately 250 years, the monastery was dissolved in 1533 due to the Reformation and passed into the possession of the Counts of Schwarzburg. Due to property disputes, large parts of the estate fell into disrepair until the Treaty of Stadtilm in 1599 settled the conflicts. It was not until 1628 that the sons of Count Albrecht VII had the uninhabitable building converted into a castle. A city fire in 1780 damaged the castle, but it was restored. In 1865, another fire occurred in the stables, marking the first deployment of the newly founded volunteer fire department. However, a major fire in 1897 destroyed large parts of the castle. The ruins were subsequently acquired by the Müller brothers and converted into a castle inn.