Wachendorf Castle

Wachendorf Castle is located in the Wachendorf district of Starzach in the Tübingen district in Baden-Württemberg.

In the middle of the village, the old and new castles of the Barons von Ow-Wachendorf are located north and west of Schlossstraße next to large barns, outbuildings, the church and the rectory, shaping the townscape. Together with the extensive castle garden to the west, they contribute to the townscape of Wachendorf.

The von Ow family was elevated to the status of Imperial Barons by Emperor Leopold I in 1681. Their rights also included the right over life and death (blood jurisdiction). This became suddenly clear to Johann Reinhard (Gypsy Meizel) on June 30, 1787, after a series of raids. The executioner had brought him from life to death with the sword as a warning example. Likewise, the valid jurisdiction, the Fleckenordnung of 1747, was issued by the landlord Joseph Otto Freiherr von Ow. There is still a prison cell on the castle grounds today.

The castle is still privately owned by the von Ow-Wachendorf family and generally cannot be publicly visited. On special occasions, however, they allow small groups of visitors into their castle.