In the course of time Burg Schwarzenstein, "occupy the apple tree crest on the way to Stephanshausen", as the land surveyors wrote in 1879 in the Stockbuch of Johannisberg. Three years earlier, in 1876, the Mumm von Schwarzenstein Family had a romantic castle reminiscent of medieval architecture converted into a summer residence by the architect F. Schädel.

The picturesque structure in a dreamlike location on the heights of the Rheingau, but without social or family life, changed in 1958 with the Sale of the Mumm winery to the Oetker family, including the ownership of the castle. The Hamburg architect Professor Caesar Pinnau, fascinated by the constructional fragment of the castle, designed in the interior of the castle a chic Restaurant to taste Mumm's wines, accompanied by selected dishes.

Since then the castle was renovated in style and elaborately and turned it into a woderful restaurant and hotel complex.

The Hotel Burg Schwarzenstein has been a member of the international association "Relais & Chateaux" since 2007.

Today whole complex is owned by the Family Foundation Burg Schwarzenstein.

https://www.burg-schwarzenstein.de

Burg Schwarzenstein

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

Schloss Johannisberg is a castle and winery in the village of Johannisberg to the west of Wiesbaden, Hesse, in the Rheingau wine-growing region of Germany. It has been making wine for over 900 years. The winery is most noted for its claim to have "discovered" late harvest wine. The castle is a venue of the Rheingau Musik Festival, made available by co-founder Tatiana von Metternich-Winneburg.

A mountain on the north bank of the River Rhine near Mainz has been associated with the Church and with winemaking since the Dark Ages, when the estate of Ludwig der Fromme ("Louis the Pious") made 6000 litres of wine during the reign of Charlemagne. In 1100, Benedictine monks completed a monastery on the Bischofsberg ("Bishop's") mountain, having identified the site as one of the best places to grow vines. Thirty years later they built a Romanesque basilica in honour of John the Baptist, and the hill became known as Johannisberg ("John's mountain"). It was constructed on floor plans similar to that of its mother house, St. Alban's Abbey, Mainz. The monastery was a prime target for the Anabaptists in the German Peasants' War of 1525, and it was destroyed.

In 1716, Konstantin von Buttlar, Prince-Abbot of Fulda, bought the estate from Lothar Franz von Schönborn, started construction of the baroque palace, and, in 1720, planted Riesling vines, making it the oldest Riesling vineyard in the world. The estate changed hands several times during the Napoleonic Wars, but in 1816 Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, gave it to the great Austrian statesman Prince von Metternich.

In 1942, the Schloss was bombed and reduced to a shell by the air raids on Mainz in 1942. By the mid-1960s it had been largely rebuilt by Paul Alfons von Metternich-Winneburg and his wife Princess Tatiana, who had fled there on a farm cart in 1945 after the Russians had advanced on their other estates. Prince Paul died in 1992, leaving no heir, but a significant portion of his fortune to his mistress. With his death the House of Metternich became extinct. Although Princess Tatiana was allowed to reside in the Schloss until her death in 2006, the situation had forced her husband to sell the estate to the German Oetker family in 1974. There are currently about 35 hectares (86 acres) of vineyard.

Tradition has it that on one occasion a messenger from Heinrich von Bibra, Prince-Bishop and Abbot of Fulda, was 14 days late in bringing the papers to give the cellar master permission to start harvesting the grapes. At least two alternative stories exist to explain the delay. One is that the Prince-Bishop was away hunting and was not available to sign the permission to harvest, and the other is that he was intercepted and held by highwaymen. By this time the grapes had become affected with the "noble rot" Botrytis cinerea. The rotted grapes were then given to the local peasants, who ended up making wine of high quality. In 1775, Schloss Johannisberg made the first Spätlese Riesling followed by an Auslese wine in 1787 and an Eiswein in 1858. Unfortunately for the German tradition, the Tokay classification of 1730 relied in part on an area's propensity to noble rot, which suggests that the Hungarians got there first.

Schloss Johannisberg is a single vineyard designation (Einzellage) in its own right, and one of a handful historic German vineyards which do not have to display a village name on the label. Thus, the vineyard designation on the label is Schloß Johannisberger.

The 35 ha of vineyards consist of a loam-loess topsoil lying on Taunus quartzite. The soils are quite stony and gravelly, enabling them to retain the day's temperature and to buffer temperature fluctuations.

The estate offers guided tours with tastings, a wine bar, shop, and various special events.

The church of the castle, the Basilika, was originally built for the Benedictine monastery and dedicated to St. Johannes (St. John the Baptist). After the destruction during World War II it was rebuilt as a Romanesque basilica and has served as the Catholic parish church for the village Johannisberg. It is also used for concerts of sacred music, of local groups and for concerts of the Rheingau Musik Festival, such as a performance of the Huelgas Ensemble.

In 1999, combined choirs of Geisenheim and St. Martin, Idstein, performed Giacomo Puccini's Messa di Gloria and, in 2001, Rutter's Requiem and Benjamin Britten's The Company of Heaven for speakers, soloists, chorus and orchestra (1937, not performed again until 1989). In 2009, the Neue Rheingauer Kantorei performed Haydn's Die Schöpfung with soloists Elisabeth Scholl, Daniel Sans and Andreas Pruys.

The Ostflügel (East Wing) of the castle was rebuilt after the destruction to serve as a tennis court. Tatiana von Metternich-Winneburg, a co-founder of the Rheingau Musik Festival, turned the hall into a public concert venue, staging 10 of the 19 concerts of the first summer season in 1988, and many recitals and chamber music performances every year following. After her husband's death the hall was named "Fürst-von-Metternich-Saal". von Metternich-Winneburg was "Vorsitzende des Kuratoriums" (president of the festival's curators) until her death. The tradition has been continued by the present owners. Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia for instance performed there in June 2012.

Schloss Johannisberg

Schloss Vollrads is a castle and a wine estate in the Rheingau wine-growing region in Germany, that has been making wine for over 800 years.

After the donation of Verona in 983 the archbishopric of Mainz, the new owner, invested in vine growing, although vines had been cultivated there since Roman times. The manor house was named after the Lords of Winkel; Vollradus is a given name. In 1218 a "Vollradus in Winkela" (so-called knight Vollradus), in 1268 a "Conradus dictus Vollradus armiger" is documented. No building originating from this time is traceable.

Today the core building of the estate is a substantial tower house, as a water castle surrounded by a square pond. Therefore, the house is only reachable by bridge. This keep can be traced to the first third of the 14th century and the family of Greiffenclau, the heirs of the Lords of Winkel. The octagon stage tower, flanking the donjon, was erected in 1471; the bay window was added in 1620. Above the doorway the coat of arms of the Greiffenclau family is to be seen.

In 1684 the present two-winged manor house was built by Georg Phillip Greiffenclau von Vollrads near the tower. His son Johann Erwein erected the estate buildings around 1700, as well as boundary walls around the manor garden, and finally equipped the tower with a typical baroque roof.

In 1907/1908 Countess Clara Matuschka-Greiffenclau had the buildings remodelled. She increased the height of the southern wing of the mansion by a third floor, added two towers with an onion dome, and enlarged the terraces and the bay windows at the Donjon.

In 1975 Erwein Matuschka Greiffenclau took charge of the property, which was heavily in debt. Although an important figure in the emergence of a new or rediscovered style of high quality dry Rheingau wine in the 1980s and 1990s, he was not successful in reorganising his estate. When in 1997 the principal bank decided on the declaration of bankruptcy, Erwein, who was then also the chairman of the VDP-Rheingau, took his gun, went to his beloved vineyards, and committed suicide. Since then, the estate has belonged to the Nassauische Sparkasse bank, which runs the manor house as well as the vineyards and a restaurant.

The winery is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweingüter.

Most of the time the manor house is not open to the public. Access is only allowed for special events. In the summer live music acts take place, especially of the Rheingau Musik Festival, and in the harvest season a public bar is opened in the center court.

Schloss Vollrads is a vineyard site documented since the Middle Ages in the Rheingau within the boundaries of the collective site (Großlage) of Honigberg between Johannisberg, Winkel, Mittelheim and Erbach. The estate claims to be the oldest winery of Germany, which is not verifiable for the distinct single vineyard site (Einzellage) of 58 ha size.

Schloss Vollrads is in fact a vineyard designation (Einzellage) in its own right (as is Schloss Johannisberg), and one of a handful historic German vineyards which according to the wine law do not have to display a village name, which otherwise would be Winkel, on the label. Thus, the wines are simply labelled as "Schloss Vollrads Riesling", which signifies both the vineyard site, the producer and the grape variety.

The Riesling grape is the only grape variety used in the winery. Nevertheless, the whole range of Prädikat designations such as Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese up to the Eiswein is vinified. Schloss Vollrads also produces dry wines under the Erstes Gewächs designation. The Vollrads Lage is highly "terroir-expressive", meaning that the character of Riesling wines is clearly influenced by the wine's place of origin. In order to avoid cork taint, the wine is sealed with Vino-Lok glass stoppers.

The estate offers guided tours with tastings, a wine bar, shop, and various special events. It is a regular concert stage for the Rheingau Musik Festival.

Schloss Vollrads

Schloss Schönborn (ehemaliger Stockheimer Hof) ist ein Renaissance-Adelshof aus der Mitte des 16. Jahrhunderts in Geisenheim im Rheingau.

Hermann von Stockheim, der einem Geisenheimer Adelsgeschlecht entstammte, ließ den Hof 1550 errichten. Philipp Erwein von Schönborn, der Bruder des Mainzer Erzbischof Johann Philipp von Schönborn, erwarb das Gut 1652, das sich immer noch im Besitz der Grafen von Schönborn-Wiesentheid befindet.

Der Bau ist ein typisches Beispiel für den an Mittelrhein und Main vorkommenden, aus spätgotischer Form in die Renaissance überführten Typus des offenen Herrenhauses. Weitere Höfe ähnlichen Typus besaß die Familie Stockheim in Eltville am Rhein (heute Sitz des Weinguts Langwerth von Simmern) sowie den Stockheimer Hof in Idstein.

Der heutige Zustand des Anwesens geht im Wesentlichen auf Umbauten aus dem 19. Jahrhundert zurück: Der Frankfurter Architekt Heinrich Theodor Schmidt setzte 1875 auf den Steinbau zwei Fachwerkobergeschosse in historisierender Renaissanceform auf.

Um das Anwesen liegt ein ummauerter Weinberg (Clos).



Schloss Schonborn (Geisenheim)

The Boosenburg is a lowland castle in Rüdesheim am Rhein, Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, Hesse, Germany, located in the Rhine valley and dating back to the 12th century. It is locally known as Oberburg (upper castle) in relation to the near and slightly lower Brömserburg. It has been part of the Rhine Gorge World Heritage Site from 2002.

History

The castle was probably built at the end of the 12th century as the family seat for the knight, Lord Fuchs of Rüdesheim, as a square building surrounding a very high, double stepped bergfried, protected by a rampart and moat. In late medieval times, additional living quarters were added. In 1407, the castle was left to the Brömser von Rüdesheim noble family. From 1474 to 1830, it belonged to the Boos von Waldeck noble family.

After the counts of Schönborn-Wiesntheid became owners in 1830, they tore down in 1836 all the buildings apart from the bergfried, which they built even higher, adding Gothic Revival merlons. The next owner, wine merchant Baptist Sturm, transformed the moat to a vaulted wine cellar. His widow erected a Gothic Revival villa, designed by Philipp Hoffmann, and completed in 1872.

The castle has belonged to a winery, Weinkellerei Carl Jung, from 1938. The musical family has arranged chamber music concerts in their residence. Carl's son, Hans Otto Jung, a founding member of the jazz group Hotclub Combo [de] in the 1940s, played there with notable musicians on two Steinway pianos. His son, Edu Jung, also active as a jazz musician, opened the venue also for concerts of the Volkshochschule (VHS, folk high school).

In 2002, Boosenburg became part of the World Heritage Site of the Rhine Gorge.

Boosenburg

The Brömserburg (also called the Niederburg) is located near the banks of the Rhine in the town of Rüdesheim am Rhein in Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the German state of Hesse. Its original structure was probably one of the first stone castles in the Rhine Gorge, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Construction

The older literature (from the 19th century to the 1980s) suggested the Brömserburg was built on the foundations of a Roman fort. However, no antique building fabric has been confirmed and, in particular, it remains unproven that, as previously assumed, it was a watchtower or the bridgehead of a crossing opposite Bingium (Bingen am Rhein) on the left bank of the Rhine. Since this fort was only built in the 4th century, the thesis is not conclusive, because the Romans had already withdrawn from the right bank of the Rhine after the fall of the limes.

Two construction phases are identifiable. Researchers do not agree on the dating of the first phase, theories ranging from an early medieval, royal Salhof, dating to before 980, to a mid-12th century castle complex. Examination of an alder post from the foundation of the southeast tower, which is considered to be the oldest part of the castle, showed that the tower could not have been built before 1044 and not after 1216.

The end of the 12th century (1186-1190) was the final period of construction for the second castle.

The shape of the castle, even during its first construction phase, corresponded largely to its present dimensions. It was protected by an enceinte and moats; in those days the Rhine flowed, according to historical engravings, immediately past its southern front - unlike today, where there is a road and wide riverbank zone between the castle and the river. However, the enceinte was thinner (1.6-1.7 metres) and lower than it is today. In the southeast corner there used to be a tower house (donjon), now gone. The tower diagonally opposite, which has survived, also originates from this first phase and served to defend the gate (gate tower) as well as acting as a bergfried. At that time, its height reached up to the upper edge of the present fighting platform.

During the second construction phase, the outer wall was reinforced, cladded with brick and raised. Other buildings were built onto the donjon up to the same height, and completely vaulted in up to four storeys (a unique design for a castle on the Rhine); thus a quadrangular structure was created. At the same time the courtyard was raised in height and, in the centre, a massive, new bergfried was erected which was joined onto adjacent elements of the second phase without any joints. Originally it had a wall thickness of more than 4 metres in the lower section and was estimated to be about 35 metres high. Due to the location of the entrance of the new bergfried - the elevated entrance is on the highest surviving floor) it is clear that the tower must have been much higher than it is today; it clearly rose above the adjoining buildings and thus gave the castle a much less "squat" appearance than it has today.

History

In the 13th century, the family of Brömser from the Wisper valley are recorded as castellans (Burgherren) of the castle within the territory of the archbishops of Mainz.

In 1640, the south-eastern corner, facing the Rhine, was blown up by French troops of Duke Henry II of Orleans during the Thirty Years' War, at the same time destroying the upper part of the bergfried and the donjon. A mine passageway was driven into the bergfried, but there was no explosion. It is still visible today.

The popular assertion that the Brömser von Rüdesheim family lived in the castle from 1548 until they died out in 1668, is wrong. What really happened is that, after the main line of the Rüdesheim family died out on the death of Melchior von Rüdesheim in 1538, the Brömsers gradually took over the Rüdesheim fief. The Brömsers never actually lived there, but always resided in their own house, the Brömserhof in Oberstraße 29 in Rüdesheim. After the Brömsers died out, the Archbishop of Mainz granted the fiefdom to Emmerich of Metternich, an heir of the Brömser von Rüdesheim family, in 1678. As the castle remained uninhabited, it fell into ruin in the 18th century and was initially nicknamed "Brömser's dog house", and, later, "Metternich's dog house".

After 1811, the new owners - the counts of Ingelheim - undertook a romanticised expansion of the castle into a country house. In the south wing, these features were removed again in the 1950s during a renovation.

The castle was lived in until 1937. In 1941 it was bought by the town of Rüdesheim. Since 1950, it has housed the Rheingau Wine Museum with exhibits of wine culture from antiquity to the present day. In 1961, the destroyed south-east corner was reconstructed and, in 1969, the keep was raised to a height of 27 metres.

Bromserburg

Klopp Castle (German: Burg Klopp) is a castle in the town of Bingen am Rhein in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. In the nineteenth century, the bergfried (similar to a keep) from the original medieval fortified castle was restored and a new building added which houses the town's administration.

History

The castle stands on a hill above the town with a wide-ranging view, which may have been the site of a Roman fortification built by Nero Claudius Drusus at Bingium around 10 CE. Drusenburg or Drususburg was an early name for the castle. The hill is one of three locations where local legend says that Emperor Henry IV was imprisoned by his son in 1105 or 1106, this being the first surviving mention of a castle there.

The last medieval castle on the site was built in the 13th century: possibly around 1281, possibly between 1240, when Kloppberg (Klopp Hill) is mentioned as the residence of a churchman, and 1277, the first mention of Burg Clopp. Together with Ehrenfels Castle on the opposite side of the Rhine and later the Mouse Tower, it enabled the Archbishopric of Mainz to exact tolls on river trade. In 1438 the archbishop sold the town and the castle to the cathedral chapter and the townspeople effectively controlled it. The castle was already decaying in the 16th century and was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War, but was rebuilt in 1653. The French destroyed it again in 1689 in the War of the Palatine Succession, and in the final phase of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713, the Mainz forces themselves blew up what was left to prevent its use by the enemy. Early 19th-century paintings show ruined walls, one connecting the castle to the town, but the castle itself levelled.

The state of Hesse acquired the ruin in 1815 and sold it to Hermann Faber, a lawyer. It was later owned by a Berliner called Rosenthal, who renovated the well. Both charged tourists to climb the gate tower as a viewing platform; Faber built a stairway up the outside of the walls and a viewing room at the top which he furnished with books of poetry, a comfortable sofa and a fully equipped writing desk, and laid out the grounds as a garden with romantic paths through the grapevines, trees and flowers. He also installed an aeolian harp. The castle was one of the major sights of the Romantic Rhine. J.M.W. Turner sketched a view of it from the River Nahe in 1844. By the end of the 19th century, some 75,000 entries had been made in the visitors' book.

In 1853 the gatehouse, the bridge across the moat and the fortifications were rebuilt for Ludwig Maria Cron. The bergfried was rebuilt as a crenellated tower 26 metres high, with four corner turrets. In 1875–79, a new Gothic building was built on the site. The architect for both was the mayor, Eberhard Soherr. The base of the bergfried, the moat and parts of the southern curtain wall and its chemin de ronde are the only remnants of the medieval castle.



Klopp Castle

Ehrenfels Castle (German: Burg Ehrenfels) is a ruined castle above the Rhine Gorge near the town of Rüdesheim am Rhein in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the steep eastern bank of the river amid extended vineyards. The grape variety Ehrenfelser is named after the castle.

It was (re-)built about 1212 at the behest of the Archbishop of Mainz as a defensive work against the constant attacks by Elector Palatine Henry V, who, as Imperial vicar of Franconia, strived to cut down the archbishop's reach. Mainz staffed the castle with Burgmannen and erected a customs post controlling the shipping on the Rhine, supplemented by the Mouse Tower below at the river. Heavily damaged in the course of the Thirty Years' War, the castle was finally devastated by French troops under the command of Lieutenant General Nicolas Chalon du Blé during the 1689 Siege of Mainz.

The ruin can be reached from Rüdesheim via a hiking trail through the vineyards. The interior however can only be visited in guided tours by prior appointment.

Ehrenfels Castle (Hesse)

Schloss Reinhartshausen ist ein ehemaliges Schloss sowie Weingut im heute hessischen Rheingau, am westlichen Ortsrand von Erbach gelegen, einem Stadtteil von Eltville am Rhein, und vom Rheinufer nur durch die Bundesstraße 42 getrennt.

Geschichte des Schlosses

Stammsitz von Ritterschaften (1189 bis 1797)

Ursprünglich lag an der Stelle des heutigen Schlosses von 1189 bis 1275 der Stammsitz der Ritter zu Erbach. Danach gehörte das Anwesen etwa vier Jahrhunderte lang den Rittern von Allendorf.

Residenz von Adelsgeschlechtern (1797 bis 1987)

1797 erwarb das rheinische Adelsgeschlecht der Langwerth von Simmern den Rittersitz. 1801 ließ Clemens August von Westphalen aus der westfälischen Adelsfamilie von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg den Rittersitz abreißen und das Schloss in seiner heutigen Form erbauen.

Wohnsitz der Marianne von Oranien-Nassau (1855 bis 1883)

Im Jahr 1855 erwarb Marianne von Oranien-Nassau (1810–1883) das Schloss von Clemens August von Westphalen. Sie war eine geborene Prinzessin der Niederlande, die von 1830 bis 1849 mit Prinz Albrecht von Preußen (1809–1872) verheiratet war. Hier ließ sie sich mit ihrem Lebensgefährten Johannes van Rossum (1809–1873), einem bürgerlichen Niederländer, und dem gemeinsamen Sohn Johann Wilhelm von Reinhartshausen (1848–1861) nieder (der Nachname wurde dem Jungen von Herzog Adolph von Nassau verliehen, in Anlehnung an das Schloss Reinhartshausen, in dem er aufwuchs und das er erben sollte). Die Schwangerschaft Mariannes hatte den preußischen und den niederländischen Hof schließlich bewogen, in die von beiden Ehepartnern lange gewünschte Scheidung einzuwilligen (Marianne hatte Albrecht bereits 1845 verlassen, weil er ein außereheliches Verhältnis eingegangen war).

Marianne von Oranien-Nassau machte Schloss Reinhartshausen zu einem kulturellen Anziehungspunkt am Rhein. Sie besaß eine Sammlung von vermutlich über 600 Gemälden, Grafiken und Skulpturen, für die sie Schloss Reinhartshausen um ein Museum, den Galeriebau, erweiterte, der heute nicht mehr existiert. Ein kleiner Teil der Sammlung Prinzessin Mariannes befindet sich noch heute in Schloss und Schlossgarten. Stets beherbergte das Schloss zahlreiche Gäste und bot jungen Künstlern Unterkunft und Raum für Ihre Entfaltung. Aufgrund ihres großen sozialen Engagements für Bedürftige erwarb sich Marianne im Rheingau große Sympathien.

1861 schenkte die tief gläubige Protestantin den Erbachern zum Gedenken an ihren mit 12 Jahren an Scharlach verstorbenen Sohn Johann Wilhelm von Reinhartshausen ein Grundstück und 60.000 Gulden für den Bau der ersten evangelischen Kirche im Rheingau, der Evangelischen Johanneskirche. Johann Wilhelm wurde in der Gruft hinter dem Altar der 1865 feierlich eingeweihten Kirche bestattet. 1873 starb Johannes van Rossum, 10 Jahre später Marianne. Beide wurden in einem gemeinsamen Grab auf dem öffentlichen Friedhof in Erbach bestattet, das noch heute zu besichtigen ist. Ihr Wunsch, an der Seite des gemeinsamen Sohnes in der Gruft der Johanneskirche bestattet zu werden, blieb ihnen versagt. Es war zu Auseinandersetzungen mit dem Pfarrer gekommen, wohl aufgrund ihrer unstandesgemäßen Lebensweise. 1896 wurde die Rheinaue vor dem Anwesen zu Ehren Prinzessin Mariannes auf den Namen „Mariannenaue“ umbenannt.

Im Besitz der Preußen (1883 bis 1987)
Marianne vererbte Schloss Reinhartshausen ihrem Sohn Prinz Albrecht von Preußen (1837–1906). Bis 1987 blieb das Schloss im Eigentum derer von Preußen. Der letzte adelige Alleinherr war Friedrich von Preußen, dessen Söhne Friedrich Nikolaus, Andreas und Rupert es bis 1987 in Erbengemeinschaft als Administration des Prinzen Friedrich von Preußen weiterführten.

Nutzung seit 1991

Im Jahr 1987 erwarb Willi Leibbrand (1932–1993), ein Unternehmer bei Goldpfeil und Rewe, Schloss Reinhartshausen und ließ es bis 1991 als Hotel und Weingut grundlegend restaurieren. Das Hotel wurde um den Westflügel erweitert und der Mitteltrakt wurde aufgestockt. Ein neuer hochwassersicherer Weinkeller und ein neues Kellereigebäude entstand sowie ein Aussiedlerhof am Ende der Eberbacher Straße in Erbach. Die Weinberge von Tillmanns’ Erben wurden hinzuerworben.

Joachim Wissler leitete hier von 1991 bis 1999 das Restaurant Marcobrunn (ab 1996 zwei Sterne im Guide Michelin). Von 1999 bis 2004 kochte hier Alfred Friedrich

Zum 1. März 2013 wurde das Weingut an die Familie Lergenmüller aus Hainfeld (Pfalz) verkauft, die damit zum größten privaten Weinproduzent Deutschlands avancierte. Bis Ende 2015 wurde das Hotel durch Kempinski Hotel & Resorts geführt.

2016 übernahm die Hotel Schloss Reinhartshausen GmbH Co. KG das Hotel. Sie plante einen Erweiterungsbau mit 62 Zimmern und einem Baubeginn bis voraussichtlich 2017. Das Baupläne wurden allerdings verschoben und stattdessen pachtete das französische Unternehmen Châteauform das Schloss. Es wird nun nicht mehr als Hotel, sondern für Unternehmensveranstaltungen wie Konferenzen, Tagungen und Seminare genutzt.

Schloss Reinhartshausen

Scharfenstein Castle (German: Burg Scharfenstein), a ruined castle near the town of Kiedrich in Hesse, Germany, was part of the Bishopric of Mainz’s border fortifications. It was erected in 1160 under Christian I (Archbishop of Mainz).

Scharfenstein Castle (Kiedrich)

Rheinstein Castle (German: Burg Rheinstein/Reinstein) is a castle near the town of Trechtingshausen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

The castle was constructed in about 1316/1317. Rheinstein Castle was important for its strategic location. By 1344, the castle was in decline. By the time of the Palatine War of Succession, the castle was very dilapidated. During the romantic period in the 19th century, Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863) bought the castle and it was rebuilt.

Burg Rheinstein possesses a working drawbridge and portcullis, which are typical of medieval castle architecture and defences. The castle is open to the public. Just past the gift shop near the entrance is an opening on the left to the courtyard, which offers a spectacular view of the Rhine. Rheinstein's courtyard is known as the Burgundy Garden after the Burgundy grape vine growing there. The vine, which is approximately 500 years old, still produces grapes.

From the garden, steps lead down to the castle chapel. In the centre of the Gothic altar piece of the chapel there is a woodcarving depicting Jesus at the Last Supper. Between the rock and chapel, additional steps lead down to the royal crypt of Prince Frederick William Louis's family.

Heading upwards to the Burgundy Garden, another set of steps lead to the main part of the castle. The largest and most impressive room at Rheinstein Castle is located at the top of the stairway to the left once inside the castle. Known as the Rittersaal or Knight's Hall, it includes beautiful stained glass windows, as well as three-dimensional paintings. Rheinstein houses a cafe and gift shop offering miniature handmade wooden treasure chests, as well as traditional items including postcards and guidebooks for purchase.