Wilhelmsburg Castle

Wilhelmsburg Castle is a castle in the municipality of Barchfeld in the Wartburg district. It is located next to the older Stein's Castle on the western edge of the historic town and rises on the grounds of the former moated castle in the Werra river valley. The castle is a protected monument and most recently served as part of a meat processing factory. It was acquired by the municipality in the summer of 2012 and is to be renovated.

In 1721, Barchfeld became the seat of the Landgraves of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, a branch of the Hessian princely house that emerged in 1721 from the collateral line Hesse-Philippsthal. They built Wilhelmsburg Castle between 1690 and 1732, directly adjacent to Stein's Castle, as a three-winged Baroque castle. Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld is one of the two still existing lines of the Hessian princely house today.

In 1938, a Düsseldorf leather goods manufacturer acquired the castle. From then on, it was used as a leather goods factory, and during the GDR era, as a slaughterhouse and meat processing plant. Industrial buildings were erected in the castle park. Since 1990, the building has stood empty in a ruinous state.