Stocksberg Castle

The origins of the castle date back to 1220, when the Lords of Stocksberg, presumably descendants of the Lords of Stockheim, erected an initial castle on the Stocksberg. The early history of ownership is largely unknown. In 1307, Count Eberhard the Illustrious ceded his rights to Stocksberg to the Teutonic Order, which had already acquired the estates of the Lords of Stockheim in 1295, thus becoming the owner of both the castle and the village. Stockheim was elevated to a commandery in 1334 but was merged with the Horneck commandery in 1375. During the German Peasants' War in 1525, the castle was plundered and set on fire by rebellious peasants. Reconstruction only took place in 1574 under Heinrich von Bobenhausen, giving the complex its current two-winged form. In the Thirty Years' War, the castle was plundered by Swedish troops in 1631, and during the War of the Palatine Succession and the Second Coalition War, it also experienced looting and military occupations. In 1805, the castle fell to Württemberg and initially became a state domain.