Alfdorf Manor, called the ''Oberes Schloss'', is a 17th century ''
schloss
''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house.
Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate ...
'' located in
Alfdorf
Alfdorf is a municipality in the Rems-Murr district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
History
The municipality of Alfdorf was formed in 1972 by the merging of the municipalities of Alfdorf, Pfahlbronn, and Vordersteinenberg.
Geography
The munici ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and its
town hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
.
History
Alfdorf Manor was built in 1602 by Philipp von Neuhausen and his brother-in-law Joachim Berchthold von Roth. Neuhausen's share of the castle was bought by
John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg
John Frederick of Württemberg (5 May 1582, in Montbéliard – 18 July 1628) was the Duke of Württemberg from 4 February 1608 until his death on 18 July 1628 whilst en route to Heidenheim.
Life
John Frederick of Württemberg was the eldes ...
, as early as 1614. From 1618 to 1630, the manor was
enfeoffed
In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ti ...
to Hans Caspar Diemar.
On 14 April 1640, the castle was sold to by
Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg
Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (16 December 1614, in Stuttgart – 2 July 1674, in Stuttgart) ruled as Duke of Württemberg from 1628 until his death in 1674.
Eberhard III became the heir under guardianship in 1628 during the Thirty Years' Wa ...
.
A
half-timber
Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
brewery was built to the west of the manor in 1775 and stood there until around 1864.
The manor was renovated in 1845 and in 1871 passed into the ownership of Baron Götz von Holtz and his wife Sophie .
Alfdorf Manor became Alfdorf's town hall in 1986.
[
]
Architecture
The manor has a rectangular plan and stands three stories tall with two four-story towers abutting the main structure. Both features share a single gabled roof
A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof ca ...
. A ''risalit
An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than othe ...
'' on the west facade houses a staircase.
Above the main entrance into the manor, on the east side of the building, are the coats of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
of the manor's builders in relief.
Citations
References
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