Marbach Castle (Öhningen)

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Marbach Castle
Marbach Castle near Öhningen, from the opposite bank of the Untersee

Marbach Castle near Öhningen, from the opposite bank of the Untersee

Creation time : 1291 (first mentioned)
Castle type : Hillside castle
Conservation status: New building in the early 19th century
Standing position : Noble
Place: Öhningen
Geographical location 47 ° 40 '11.5 "  N , 8 ° 57' 1.2"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 40 '11.5 "  N , 8 ° 57' 1.2"  E
Height: 427  m above sea level NHN
Marbach Castle (Baden-Württemberg)
Marbach Castle
Marbach Castle.jpg

The Marbach Castle lies on the peninsula Höri am Untersee , the foothills of Lake Constance . Today it belongs to the municipality of Öhningen ( district of Konstanz , state of Baden-Württemberg ) and is located on the L  192 between Wangen (a district of Öhningen) and Hemmenhofen , which is a district of Gaienhofen . Originally a castle, today's castle is used as a conference center.

location

In this area of ​​the Höri, the bank rises relatively steeply. Marbach Castle is about 40 m above the bank, while the property extends down to the lake. The Swiss bank is on the opposite side of the lake . The location is strategically favorable because one overlooks a large section of the lake or river from here.

history

The castle was first mentioned in 1291 in the chronicle of the Reichenau monastery . Abbot Albrecht von Ramstein documents: … in castro nostro quod Marbach dicitur (Eng. “In our castle which Marbach is called”). In 1365, the Bernese barons von Brandis launched raids on Rhine ships from Marbach Castle, with the result that trade to and from Constance collapsed. The Konstanz municipal administrator was held captive on Marbach. Merchants from Constance captured the castle in 1369; the nine defenders were beheaded in Constance.

In 1384 Mangold von Brandis , abbot of the Reichenau monastery and bishop of Constance , had the castle rebuilt. In 1387, after Mangold von Brandis' death, Nikolaus Sattler from Ravensburg bought the castle and one year later acquired the “Kehlhof”. Now Marbach and Wangen were owned for the first time. In 1409 Sattler sold Marbach to Baron Jakob I von Ulm from the Constance city noble family. In 1430, in the course of disputes between the Constance patricians and the guilds , Jacob II of Ulm confessed to the patricians and entrenched himself in Marbach Castle. The rebellious citizens of Constance stormed the facility and devastated it. After years of neglect, the castle burned down in 1461.

The estate of the von Ulm family was split up due to inheritance and in 1558 Marbach was sold to the Augsburg patrician Peutinger family. In 1581, Count Ulrich Fugger , Herr zu Kirchberg and Weißenhorn , acquired the Marbach estates from the Peutingers, but only on credit, because the wealth of this branch of the Fugger family had already melted away at that time. In 1587 imperial commissioners had to settle Ulrich Fugger's debts and Marbach was returned to the heirs of Peutinger, from whom Count Jakob Fugger, the Provost of Constance, bought it back.

In 1598, Baron Kaspar von Ulm managed to buy back his family's former property. His son Ludwig, who held an influential position at the imperial court, obtained an imperial order that Marbach was to be sold back to his family. For more than 300 years, the manor house remained in the possession of the members of the von Ulm family, who inherited Marbach, sold it to one another or took on its maintenance. After 1461 and 1570, Marbach burned down a third time during the Thirty Years War

In 1829 the French Count de Grimaudet bought the property and had it renovated and beautified at great expense. The current foundation and outer walls come from this construction activity. Since then the castle has been referred to as "Marbach Castle". In 1839 Count Grimaudet died in the renovated castle. He was buried in the cemetery in Wangen. In the following years the castle became a speculative object with frequently changing owners such as Gallus Reglin, a businessman from Überlingen and Leopold Faller, a glass manufacturer from Lenzkirch. In 1863 Marbach Castle was finally without furnishings and neglected and was acquired by Johann Kasper Schmied, pharmacist from Freiburg. 1873 sold his widow Marbach for 15,320 guilders to Karl Heinrich Friedrich Kohler from Geneva; the latter sold it in 1874 for 24,000 marks to the widow of Gallus Reglin; In 1880 Marbach was sold to the municipal savings and orphanage fund of Konstanz for 10,000 marks. Four weeks later the bank sold the castle for a profit of 34,500 marks to Arnold Krücke from Jena; In 1885, Dr. Wieckenbach, royal Prussian medical officer from Stralsund, bought the castle for 40,000 marks.

In 1888 August Smith bought the castle for 48,000 Reichsmarks and set up a well-attended clinic. Ten years later the property was acquired by Oskar Hornung for 250,000 Reichsmarks. The building was expanded to four floors. The clinic was converted into a stock corporation after property acquisitions did not bring the desired increase in value. After the end of the First World War , war wounded were cared for in the castle. In 1919 the property passed into the possession of Karl Lanz , a Mannheim manufacturer of agricultural machines ( Lanz Bulldog ), who bought it as a birthday present for his wife Gisella. He had the “fairytale fountain” built, of which remains are still in the park today. The figures represent the Lanz children.

In 1924, Marbach Castle burned down to the outer walls and was rebuilt with a generous division of the interior. In 1941 the widow of Karl Lanz, who died in 1921, sold Marbach to the Reich Treasury for 600,000 Reichsmarks. The Air Force used the castle as a rest home for officers. After the war ended in 1945, the French army occupied Marbach and used it as a rest home for soldiers, and the park as a campsite. In 1978 Marbach Castle was returned to the German Federal Property Administration by the French state . The building and the over 10 hectare park were shared by the Landschulheim opposite and by the Protestant boarding school Schloss Gaienhofen .

In 1987 the international coffee and chocolate company Jacobs Suchard from Zurich bought Marbach Castle after it had been empty for three years. From 1988 the castle was extensively renovated, with additional buildings (the residential towers , the atrium, a swimming pool and other ancillary buildings) being added. In June 1989, Marbach was opened as the internal communication center of Jacobs Suchard AG. In 1990 Marbach Castle was transferred to the Johann Jacobs Foundation based in Zurich. The conference and seminar center was opened for institutions, associations and companies. In 1997 the mansion “Bella Vista” on the other side of the street and the area of ​​the former country school home were acquired. In 1999 three guest houses, two tennis courts and a four-hole golf course with driving range and putting green were built. In 2004, Barry Callebaut , the world's leading manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate products, took over the entire facility as the lessee. However, Marbach Castle is still available to third-party companies for conferences. In 2005, the Jacobs Foundation completely rebuilt the villa "Bella Vista" and expanded the conference capacity with a new building, the "Forum".

Todays use

Marbach Castle is now a conference and seminar center with 61 guest rooms, a restaurant, bars, an indoor swimming pool and a golf course. The conference rooms in sizes for eight to 120 participants are used by industrial companies, but also by private individuals for e.g. B. Weddings booked.

Web links

Commons : Marbach Castle  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

The history of Marbach Castle was largely taken from the following website - with the kind permission of the owner: Marbach Castle Conference and Seminar Center - Much Past