Schloss Heiligenberg is a Renaissance-style castle in Heiligenberg, Linzgau, north of the Bodensee. It is owned by the Fürstenberg family and is sited on a plateau 730 metres above sea level, with views down onto the Bodensee and the Alps.

It was first built in the Middle Ages - in 1250 count Berthold of Heiligenberg built a burgh on the site, which was bought in 1277 by count Hugo of Werdenberg. Under the counts of Werdenberg-Heiligenberg, the castle expanded during the late Middle Ages.

Through countess Anna of Werdenberg's marriage to count Friedrich zu Fürstenberg in 1516, the burgh passed to the house of Fürstenberg in 1535 - it is still owned by that family today. Shortly before his death in 1559, Friedrich decided to remodel the castle in the Renaissance style. The building as it is seen today dates to count Joachim (1538–1598), who from 1560 to 1575 rebuilt the late medieval burgh into a 'schloss', with a Renaissance-style courtyard and an extended ballroom wing to the south.

Schloss Heiligenberg (Heiligenberg)

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Salem Abbey (Kloster or Reichskloster Salem), also known as Salmansweiler and in Latin as Salomonis Villa, was a very prominent Cistercian monastery in Salem in the district of Bodensee about ten miles from Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The buildings are now owned by the State of Baden-Württemberg and are open for tours as the Salem Monastery and Palace.

The abbey was founded in 1136 by Gunthram of Adelsreute (d. 1138) as a daughter house of Lützel Abbey in Alsace, in the foundation of which Gunthram had also been involved. Lützel was a daughter house of Bellevaux Abbey, in its turn the first daughter house of Morimond. Blessed Frowin of Bellevaux, formerly the travelling companion and interpreter of Bernard of Clairvaux, became the first abbot of Salem. He had been professed at Bellevaux, and was of the colony sent to found Lützel, and this has caused some misunderstandings in the past to the effect that Salem was founded from Bellevaux rather than from Lützel.

The abbey soon became very prosperous. Extensive and magnificent buildings, erected in three squares, and a splendid church were constructed between 1182 and 1311. Salem was noted as the richest and most beautiful monastery in Germany, being particularly renowned for its hospitality. Amongst its greatest benefactors and patrons were Conrad of Swabia and Frederick Barbarossa. The former placed the abbey under the special protection of himself and his successors, whence the title of "Imperial abbey" ("Reichsabtei" or "Reichskloster" — independent from all territorial lordship bar that of the emperor alone) which was renewed several times under Barbarossa and his successors. Pope Innocent II also took the abbey under his particular patronage.

Its growth was continuous; after having made three important foundations — Raitenhauslach Abbey (1143), Wettingen Abbey or Stella Maris (1227), and Königsbronn Abbey (1303) — it still numbered 285 monks at the beginning of the 14th century. Its abbot, from 1454 on, was privileged to confer subdeaconship on his monks.

Andreas Brugger: Great fire of Salem, 9 March 1697. Oil painting.
The abbey gradually declined, and with the exception of the church was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 1697. Rebuilding started immediately and Salem was reconstructed as an impressive Baroque complex.

Later in the century the abbey undertook between 1746 and 1749 the development of the pilgrimage church of Birnau under the supervision of Peter Thumb.

Caspar Oexle, who, as librarian, had increased the library to 30,000 volumes and a great number of manuscripts, was elected abbot in March 1802. In September of the same year the abbey was suppressed and given to the Margrave of Baden, while the library was added to that of Petershausen Abbey, and finally sold to the University of Heidelberg.

The church, known as Salem Minster ("Salemer Münster"), a Gothic structure which escaped the fire of 1697, became a parish church; but the famous grand tower with its fifteen bells, the largest weighing 10,000 lb, was destroyed in 1805–07.

Following the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss 1803 and the nearly complete secularization in Germany the history of the monastery ended and the monks left the abbey.

The other abbey buildings were used as the castle of the Grand Dukes of Baden, and the site was from then on known as Schloss Salem.

In 1920, part of the castle premises were acquired for use as a boarding school, which continues to this day as the Schule Schloss Salem.

Salem Abbey

Meersburg Castle (German: Burg Meersburg), also known as the Alte Burg (English: Old Castle), in Meersburg on Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg, Germany is the oldest inhabited castle in Germany. The central tower was first built during the 7th century, though the original structure is no longer visible. Burg Meersburg is known as the old castle, in the reference to the neighboring 18th century New Castle.

The Burg Meersburg is located on a rocky outcropping near Lake Constance (German: Bodensee). The castle is located about 440 m above sea level and towers above the Lower City, but is about level with the rest of the city.

There are two theories about the construction of the Meersburg. The first is that the Merovingian king Dagobert I built the Dagobertturm (Dagobert's Tower), the central keep of the Meersburg, in 630. Around 630, Dagobert was in the Lake Constance region working on the Christianization of the Alamanni. This theory is based on a source from 1548, and was supported by Joseph von Laßberg who lived in the castle during the 19th century. A charter issued by Frederick Barbarossa on 27 November 1155, citing older, questionable sources, mentions that the boundaries of the Bishopric of Constance were established by Dagobert himself indicating that Dagobert was personally involved in establishing rulers in the region.

The second theory is that the castle was built in the early 12th century, and based on the name of the tower an association with the earlier Merovingian king was created. It is based on the observation that in the Lake Constance region there are no records of any castles being founded in the 7th century, but in the 12th century to early 13th century many castles were built in the region. The Merdesburch Castle was first mentioned in 1113, which implies a construction date before the early 12th century.

The stones at the base of the Dagobertturm are very large roughly squared stones that according to architectural history could date from either the 7th century or from the 12th century to early 13th century. Because the stones could have come from either era, it is not clear which theory is correct. However, similarities between the Meersburg and other 12th-century castles have been noted.

Joseph von Laßberg also presents the theory that the tower was built on the site of an earlier destroyed castle. He states that the castle was destroyed by Duke Gotfrid of Alemannia who was at war with Dagobert's successor and rebuilt 80 years later by Charles Martel. From 730 until 911 the Meersburg was a Carolingian castle and owned by the Counts of Linzgau, but administered by the Counts of Buchhorn. Following the extinction of the Buchhorn line it would have passed to the Counts of Guelph. A contract between the Counts of Guelph and the Bishopric of Constance indicated that the Meersburg would be given to the Bishopric if the count died without any male heirs. It appears that the Guelphs and the Bishporic had close ties, as Bishop Conrad was of Guelph descent.

The castle may have been owned by several different lords during the following centuries. It appears that the castle was owned by the Hohenstaufens for a while, because in 1213 King Frederick II celebrated the Holy Week in Meersburg. Then, in 1233 Meersburg was granted the weekly market right by Frederick II. Shortly before his death in 1254, Conrad IV, having been deposed and excommunicated by Pope Innocent IV asked Eberhard II, the High Steward of Meersburg to care for his two-year-old son Conradin. In 1261 Conradin became the Duke of Swabia, raising an army in the Ravensburg area. He departed from Meersburg to head south into Italy to fight Charles I of Anjou and attempt to reclaim the titles stripped by the Pope from his father. While Conradin was able to take Rome, he was soon afterward captured and executed.

A few years later, in 1268 the castle came totally under the ownership of the Bishopric of Constance.

However, even as a residence for a Bishop, the Meersburg was the site of several battles over the following centuries. In 1334, there were two candidates for the position of Bishop of Constance. Baron Nikolaus I of Kenzingen was elected Bishop by supporters of the Pope while Albrecht of Hohenberg was chosen by the Holy Roman Emperor. Nikolaus quickly traveled to Avignon, in France the seat of Pope John XXII to have his appointment confirmed. He then returned to Meersburg and quickly had the defenses improved. Albrecht, meanwhile, had raised an army from the southern German princes and was joined by an Imperial army led by the Emperor. During the summer of 1334, the Imperial army besieged Burg Meersburg. During the siege, cannons were used for the first time in Germany. However, even with the new gunpowder weapons the Imperial troops were unable to take the castle. At the end of August, Emperor Louis IV was growing tired of the siege. When Duke Otto of Austria requested his help against the Bohemians, Louis left Meersburg and confirmed Nikolaus as Bishop. Albrecht was granted the Bishopric of Würzburg in 1345 to replace the lost Bishopric.

Following Nikolaus, Urich Pfefferhardt was Bishop from 1345 until 1351. In 1352 Johann III Windlock from Constance was installed at the castle, he proved to be an autocratic ruler and was disliked by the people and local nobles. Following a dispute with Konrad of Homberg-Markdorf and the Abbot Eberhard of Reichenau, he was killed by soldiers while in his palace in Constance.

Over the next century at least thirteen other Bishops were installed. Then in 1436 Heinrich IV of Hewen was appointed Bishop. His belligerent and arbitrary style caused friction between himself and the town. Following a riot, the town was fined 4,000 florins for breaking the peace within the castle grounds. Later attempts by the town to secure Free Imperial City status led to further hostilities in 1457. The inhabitants of the city stormed the castle and captured it. Bishop Heinrich responded by besieging the city. Following intervention by Siegmund of Austria as well as Constance and Zürich a compromise was reached. Heinrich then withdrew, but attacked the city a short while later. Catching the citizens off guard, his soldiers stormed the city and captured all the leaders of the revolution. Heinrich executed the leaders of the rebellion and stripped rights away from the city.

The crow-stepped gable (a stepped roof line instead of a smooth roof line) on the tower was added by the Constance Prince-Bishop Hugo von Hohenlandenberg (Served 1496–1532). Before his time, the Meersburg was a summer residence of the bishops. Following a conflict with the city of Constance in 1526, Hugo moved to the Meersburg. The castle remained the bishops' primary residence until the move to the New Schloss in the 18th century.

In 1647 the castle was attacked by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War, however only the roof timbers were burned during the attack.

During the beginning of the 18th century, the bishops began to build the New Castle at Meersburg as a modern residence castle. After 1750 the old castle served as a house for the administration of the city.

In the Secularization of 1803 the Meersburg came under the control of the Grand Duchy of Baden. In 1838 the Grand Duke sold the castle to a private owner. The collector Joseph von Laßberg and his wife Maria Anna von Droste-Hülshoff, who was also called Jenny, acquired the castle. In 1841 Jenny's sister Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, the famous German poet, moved to the castle where she would spend the last eight years of her life. Following the death of the Laßbergs, the castle went to their twin daughters, Hildegard and Hildegunde. However they couldn't afford the upkeep and sold the castle in 1877. Karl Mayer von Mayerfels from Munich bought the castle and established a Medieval Museum in the castle. Today portions of the castle are open visitors on self-guided tours. The remainder of the castle is occupied by his descendants.

Meersburg Castle

The Neues Schloss Meersburg (New Castle in Meersburg) is located in Meersburg near Lake Constance in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. From its construction in 1750 until the bishopric was dissolved in 1803 it was the seat of the Prince-Bishop of Constance.

Construction began in 1710 under Bishop Johann Franz II. von Stauffenberg, with Christoph Gessinger designing and supervising the work. It would be two years later in 1712 that the project was finished. The building was, however, a bit unfinished as a symbol of the power of the bishop. The upper story contained a number of apartments for visiting nobles and church leaders as the residence of a Prince-Bishop should, but it lacked a grand staircase and other trappings of wealth and power.

When Hugo Damian von Schönborn, who was already Bishop of Speyer and had already built Schloss Bruchsal there, took over the seat at Meersburg in 1740 he wanted to improve the Neues Schloss. He brought in the master builder Johann Georg Stahl from Bruchsal to turn the Schloss into a more impressive and elegant building. Following plans from Balthasar Neumann, Johann built an impressive staircase and decorated the castle.

From 1741 until 1743 the castle chapel was added, based on plans from Balthasar Neumann. The art and statues are the work of the fresco painter Gottfried Bernhard Göz from Augsburg (1708–1774) and the sculptor Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer (1696–1770).

By 1759 the Prince-Bishop Cardinal Franz Konrad von Rodt had the castle renovated under the direction of the master builder Franz Anton Bagnatos. The already dilapidated stairway had to be restored. The baroque facade of the castle was redone in the Rococo style, with enlarged windows, additional decoration around the windows and new gables.

The interior decoration is the work of the Mainz artist Giuseppe Appiani (c. 1705–1786) and the sculptor Carlo Luca Pozzi (1735–1803). Among the paintings by Appiani are two enormous paintings over the Grand Staircase Verherrlichung des Fürstbischofs und des Hochstift (English:Glorification of the Prince-Bishops and the Diocese) from 1761 and over the ballroom Die Verehrung der göttlichen Vorsehun (English: The worship of the divine providence) from 1762.

Due to the Secularization in 1803, the Neues Schloss was the seat of the Prince-Bishops of Constance for only about 50 years.

During the 19th century and until 1955 the Schloss served as a school for girls, a local prison, a sailors' school, a secondary school and from 1865–1937 as the Baden Institution for Deaf-mutes, which moved to Gengenbach after 1937.

Following World War II it was used as barracks for French troops.

Today the castle is home to several museums. In addition to the Town Gallery (Städtische Galerie) and the Dornier Museum, which take up the 2nd floor, the New Palace is also home to the Palace Museum of the Prince Bishops (Fürstbischöfliche Schlossmuseum) on the 3rd floor. It offers the opportunity to view the residential and representation rooms of the prince bishops refurnished with contemporary appointments from that age.

The castle is located on a hill over the Lake Constance. In the rear of the castle is a garden terrace with an excellent view of the lower city, the ferry port and the Swiss coast of Lake Constance. Access to the terrace is on the ground floor of the castle or through a staircase located near the bridge to the Burg Meersburg, which is closed by a wrought iron gate.

On the city side there is a large plaza, the Schlossplatz. In the middle of the castle facade, there is a large clock with the god of time, Chronos. On the left side of the castle is the entrance to the castle chapel which is currently used by the Evangelical Church in Baden.

Neues Schloss (Meersburg)

Schloss Kirchberg ist eine Anlage auf dem Gemeindegebiet von Immenstaad am Bodensee. Das Anwesen diente den größten Teil seiner Geschichte dem Kloster Salem als Gutshof und dessen Äbten als Nebenwohnsitz.

Geschichte

An Stelle des heutigen Gebäudekomplexes befand sich im Mittelalter vermutlich ein befestigtes Gehöft der Grafen Otto und Hartmann von Kirchberg mit einer namensgebenden Kapelle. Im Jahr 1288 kam das Anwesen mit umliegenden Feldern über das Kloster Kempten, das nur kurz Eigner des Anwesens war, in den Besitz des Zisterzienserklosters Salem, welches das Gut von Laienbrüdern bewirtschaften ließ. Haupterzeugnis war Wein, der auch heute noch auf den umliegenden Nutzflächen angebaut wird.

Die Schlossanlage verblieb bis zur Säkularisation 1802 beim Kloster Salem, dessen Äbte es als Nebenwohnsitz nutzten und verschiedene bauliche Veränderungen vornahmen. Das Schloss ging wie auch Salem in den Besitz des Markgrafen von Baden über. Dieser nutzte den Besitz weiterhin zum Weinbau.

Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs waren in den Gebäuden zeitweise Abteilungen des Flugzeugbauers Dornier untergebracht. Nach Kriegsende waren etwa 50 deutsche und 40 italienische Diplomaten von den französischen Besatzungstruppen im Schloss Kirchberg interniert, die der Beteiligung an Kriegsverbrechen verdächtig waren, wie Konstantin von Neurath, Reichsaußenminister von 1932 bis 1938. Später richtete die Schule Schloss Salem in Kirchberg eine Zweigstelle ein. Danach kehrte Dornier nochmals zurück. 1995 verkaufte das Haus Baden Schloss Kirchberg. Nach einer umfassenden Sanierung um das Jahr 2000 befinden sich in den Gebäuden heute Eigentumswohnungen.

Anlage

Das Schloss ist allein aufgrund seiner Lage inmitten der Weinberge, 25 Meter über dem Bodensee und mit Blick über denselben, sehenswert. Der Gebäudekomplex besteht aus verschiedenen Gebäuden, die in unterschiedlichen Bauphasen entstanden sind.

Kapelle

Die Kapelle stellt die Keimzelle des Anwesens dar, existiert jedoch in ihrer frühmittelalterlichen Form nicht mehr, da sie nach den jeweilig neuen Ansprüchen neugebaut wurde. 1501 musste die bestehende mittelalterliche Kapelle einem Neubau mit drei Altären weichen, welcher 1739 bis 1742 von Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer im barocken Stil umgestaltet wurde. Das alte Kirchengebäude wurde zu Gunsten eines Hauskapellenbaus im 19. Jahrhundert abgerissen.

Altes Schloss/Südflügel

1546 bis 1549 erfolgte der Neubau eines schlossähnlichen dreistöckigen Gebäudes, des sogenannten Alte Schlosses, in dessen Bau eventuell ein bestehender mittelalterlicher Wohnturm eingearbeitet wurde.

Fassade und Innenraum wurden im Lauf der Geschichte mehrfach verändert, zuletzt 1880 und 1890 zum Zweck einer Angleichung an den Ostflügel.

Ostflügel

Der Ostflügel stellt den jüngsten Teil der Schlossbauten dar und wurde 1755 bis 1775 durch den Salemer Architekten Johann Joachim Scholl errichtet. An der Ausstattung beteiligt war auch Johann Georg Dirr, der unter anderem die prächtige Abtswohnung stuckierte. Diese Arbeit ging jedoch bei der Umgestaltung verloren.

Auch hier fand eine Umgestaltung von Außen- und Innenraum im 19. Jahrhundert statt.

Hofmeistergebäude

Das Hofmeistergebäude stammt ursprünglich aus dem Jahr 1604, wurde aber in der ersten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts umgebaut. Es diente Wirtschaftsbeamten des Klosters als Wohnstätte.

Wirtschaftsgebäude

Die schlichten Wirtschaftsgebäude umfassten auch einen Torkel, für die Weinerzeugung unverzichtbar. Die Errichtung fand in etwa zeitgleich zur Barockisierung der Kapelle statt.

Schloss Kirchberg

The Old Castle Krauchenwies is a classicist castle in Krauchenwies in the district Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg.

The history of the Old Castle in Krauchenwies can be divided into three phases: the medieval origin as an aristocratic residence, the first plant from 1595 to 1597 as a four-wing renaissance castle and today's complex from 1769 to 1785 as a three-wing building of early classicism.

The old castle, also called "Wasserschlösschen", dates back to a medieval water castle. In 1303, the castle was mentioned for the first time as a tower of the Niederadligen sex of the lords to Leiterberg as Dorfherren of Krauchenwies. In 1414 it was called a water house because it was surrounded by a ditch.

After renovations in the 15th century, the architect from Ravensburg, Hans Waldner, transformed the complex from 1595 to 1597 into a renaissance castle from four wings, commissioned by Count Karl II of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1547-1606). In March 1633, during the Thirty Years' War, the castle was destroyed by Swedish troops under General Horn.

Krauchenwies Castle

Meßkirch Castle or Meßkirch Palace (also spelt "Messkirch", German: Schloss Meßkirch, Schloss der Grafen von Zimmern or Zimmernschloss) is located in the town centre of Meßkirch in the county of Sigmaringen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The castle is a cultural and museum centre with castle tours, a county art gallery, a museum about philosopher Martin Heidegger, and the Oldtimer Museum with automobiles and motorcycles.

The castle's origins go back to around 1400. Froben Christoph von Zimmern reported in the Zimmern Chronicle on the remodelling that his uncle, Gottfried Werner had carried out to the old castle beginning in 1520. These measures come in for heavy criticism. The shortcomings in the construction work meant that the castle fell into decay soon thereafter. This gave Froben Christoph also the justification to demolish the old castle completely and replace it with a new schloss.

On 9 May 1557, three years after his accession to power, the new lord of the castle laid the foundation stone for the new building. This is recorded on a capstone with the year 1557 in the town wing of the castle  It is believed that Froben Christoph could have gained inspiration for the palace during his studies between 1534 and 1540 in France (Bourges, Angers and Tours), but construction of the supposed prototype for Meßkirch Castle, Château d'Ancy-le-Franc, which had been completed by Sebastiano Serlio in 1545, had not even begun at that time. The builder of Meßkirch Castle, Jörg Schwarzenberger, is mentioned in 1561 and again in 1566 in Meßkirch. Meßkirch Castle was the first regular, quadrangular Renaissance-style palace to be built north of the Alps.