Schloss Warthausen (Warthausen palace) is a

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 ...

(large country palace) near the town of

Warthausen Warthausen () is a municipality in the district of Biberach (district), Biberach in Baden-Württemberg in Germany and birthplace of Friedrich Karl von Koenig-Warthausen. Included among its neighbourhoods is Oberhöfen, which hosts the ''Dorfplatz ...

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 ...

. It has been home to several famous historical personages, including authors Christoph Martin Wieland and

Sophie von La Roche Marie Sophie von La Roche (née Gutermann von Gutershofen; 6 December 1730 – 18 February 1807) was a German novelist. She is considered the first financially independent female professional writer in Germany. Biography Sophie von La Roche was ...

, and painter Johann Heinrich Tischbein. It was the traditional home of the Counts of Stadion-Warthausen. It is the subject of an article, ''The Gardens at Schloss Warthausen and Their Place in German Literature''.

History

In 1168, a castle was sold to

Friedrich Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...

, and passed to the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

in 1339. The castle burned down in 1474, and was rebuilt. In 1529, Reichsritter Dr. Hans Schad von Mittelbiberach (1505-1571) received the building from the

, adding new construction to it between 1532 and 1540, enlarging it to a country palace. It was burned again in 1623, during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

, and rebuilt in the

Renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought a ...

in the 1620s. From 1696 to 1827, Schloss Warthausen was in the possession of the Counts of Stadion. The State of Württemberg took possession of it and its hereditary rights in 1827. In 1829, it was acquired by . It has been home to many notable historical personages, including Count , Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen, Christoph Martin Wieland, Johann Heinrich Tischbein,

, and

Friedrich Karl von Koenig-Warthausen Friedrich Karl Richard Paul August Freiherr Koenig von und zu Warthausen (2 April 1906 – 15 December 1986) was a German aviator who made the first solo flight around the world in 1928–1929. His flight took him eastwards from Berlin to Moscow ...

. Since 1985, the building and its surrounding lands have been owned by Franz Freiherr von Ulm zu Erbach.

Description

The palace is built in the South German Renaissance style. It has Baroque external architecture features. It is located just north of Warthausen, near the river

Riss The Riss (german: Riß) is a small river in Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, right tributary of the Danube. Its source is in Upper Swabia, between Bad Waldsee and Bad Schussenried. It flows north, through the town of Biberach an der Ri ...

. It dominates the area and the eastern tip of the estate overlooks the Riss valley. The landscape as it had recently been completely redone in English style appears in a plan of 1793 by the gardener Brückner. This new landscape design set a historic new standard for German gardens. The landscaped portion of the entire 120-acre estate consists of about 17 acres. It contains

parterre A ''parterre'' is a part of a formal garden constructed on a level substrate, consisting of symmetrical patterns, made up by plant beds, low hedges or coloured gravels, which are separated and connected by paths. Typically it was the part of ...

s (formal gardens). The remaining land is neatly divided in fields lined by allées, some being there still. There are some ornamental ponds and lakes on the estate. The Warthausen Brewery, active from 1632 to 1970, was located at the foot of the hill. It was a beer supplier for about 400 inns throughout Southern Germany and at tourist attractions. The building is now a nursing home. The estate has been a setting of inspiration for notable writers and poets who were invited to the property from time to time over the years. Wieland, a leading authority of the German

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

, for example was inspired by the grounds of the estate. Wilhelm von König-Warthausen gave detailed descriptions of the ''Schloss'' and its gardens in his works.

References

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External links

Photo of Schloss Warthausen
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