Aerial image of the Tettnang Castle (view from the east)

Tettnang Castle, also known as the Tettnang New Palace (German: ''Neues Schloss Tettnang''), is one of three castles in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

town of

Tettnang Tettnang is a town in the Bodensee district in southern Baden-Württemberg in a region of Germany known as Swabia. It lies 7 kilometres from Lake Constance. The region produces significant quantities of Tettnang hop, an ingredient of beer, and ...

. The other ones are Tettnang Old Palace (opposite to the New Palace) and Torschloss close to ''Bärenplatz''. Tettnang Castle is owned by Staatliche Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg.

History

Originally, a fort stood on the site of the current castle. From 1260 until 1780, the site was the residence of the

Counts of Montfort The counts of Montfort were a German noble dynasty from Swabia. They belonged to high nobility of the Holy Roman Empire and enjoyed the privileged status of imperial immediacy. The influential and wealthy counts of Montfort took their name from a ...

. The old fort was destroyed in 1633, during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. Count Anton III of Montfort subsequently started rebuilding the castle in 1712, hiring the architect Christoph Gessinger, a Benedictine friar from Isny, to draft designs for a new castle. His aim was to tear down the remains of the mediaeval fort to make way for a completely new palace. In 1728, construction work came to a grinding halt when the funds of the Count ran dry. Count Anton III died in 1733, and the castle remained unfinished. A major section of the façade, along with parts of the interior decoration, were damaged by fire in 1753. Under the patronage of Count Franz Xaver, restoration work was subsequently completed in 1770. The fine sculptures and paintwork inside the castle were carried out by

Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer (6 March 1696 (baptized) – 2 January 1770) was an important Rococo stuccoist and sculptor, active in southern Germany and Switzerland. J. A. Feuchtmayer was born in Linz, a member of the famous Feuchtmayer family ...

, Käte Schaller-Härlin and Andreas Brugger. Jakob Emele was responsible for the

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, ...

work. When the county of Tettnang was sold to Austria around 1780 (to pay off debts), most of the interior fittings were sold and the castle passed into public ownership. When Tettnang was handed over to Bavaria as part of the Peace of Pressburg, the castle returned to German ownership. Additional restoration of the castle was carried out between 1960 and 1982. In 1997, the castle was opened to the public for tours. Since 2015 the Museum is open 6 days a week, except Wednesday, each from Easter until October 31. The Museum can be visited during guided tours only, which are starting hourly. Taking photos during the tours is prohibited. In 2014 the first Schlossgarten Open-Air was held in the garden next to the Castle, the next concerts are in June 2017.

References

External links

*
Tettnang New Palace official website

Tettnang New Palace
- brochure {{Authority control Historic house museums in Baden-Württemberg

History

See also

References

External links