Starnberg Castle

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Starnberg Castle from the southwest
patio

The Starnberg Castle was built in the early modern period by converting the high medieval castle of Starnberg ( Starnberg ) in Upper Bavaria . The four-wing building with steep gables is visible from afar on an elongated moraine tongue above the town and Lake Starnberg . The facility now serves as the service building of the Starnberg tax office . The freely accessible palace garden has been designed in baroque style again since 1979.

history

The founding of the castle is attributed to the Counts of Andechs -Meranien and dates back to the 11th century. As a fortification, the castle is certainly older due to its strategic location. Starnberg Castle was first mentioned in 1244 as "Starnberch Castrum". The high medieval fortress was possibly built as a counter-castle to the nearby Karlsburg of the Wittelsbach family , which has been preserved as a castle stables a few kilometers north above the Mühltal near Leutstetten .

The Counts of Andechs occupied Starnberg Castle with castle men and ministerials . A Wernher Miles de Starnberk appeared in a document as early as 1208 .

After the death of the last Andechs (1248), the Wittelsbach family took over the castle. It is not known whether the dukes of Bavaria accepted the Andechs counts' servants into their allegiance or replaced them with their own loyal servants. The dukes then integrated the Starnberg rule into their administrative and judicial organization. Initially, Starnberg was assigned to the Pähl or Weilheim court . 1346 appeared in the sources for the first time in Starnberg's judges. In 1365, Heinrich the master chef can be verified as the first caretaker of the Starnberg court .

The future Duke Ernst signed the castle over in 1395 as a morning gift to his future wife Elisabeth Visconti . The princess had brought her husband a dowry of 75,000 guilders from Milan .

In 1541, under Duke Wilhelm IV, the medieval castle was demolished and a residential and fortified building was redesigned in the Renaissance style. Under Duke Albrecht V , the conversion to a pleasure palace and summer residence began. In 1643 the Swedes stormed the castle and partially destroyed it. Under Elector Ferdinand Maria , the castle was an important summer residence , so from 1663 onwards, the Bucentaur, built on the Venetian model of Santurini, swam on Lake Starnberg.

Copper engraving by Michael Wening at Starnberg Castle with the magnificent ship Bucentaurus in the Topographia Bavariae around 1700

In 1734, a large part of the now baroque palace was destroyed by fire, the remaining buildings slowly fell into disrepair. From 1803 the castle was used as an office building for the rent office and the forest office. 1969 to 1972 the castle was completely gutted and rebuilt. In 2001 the historic columned hall was converted into a new service center for the tax office.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sabine Bader: Refuge of Silence . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . Starnberg Local Edition , 23 August 2015.

literature

  • Gerhard Schober: District of Starnberg (= monuments in Bavaria . Vol. 1, 21). 2nd Edition. Schnell & Steiner, Munich 1991, ISBN 3-7954-1005-3 .
  • Gerhard Schober: Castles in the Fünfseenland. Bavarian aristocratic residences around Lake Starnberg and Lake Ammersee. Oreos-Verlag, Waakirchen 2005, ISBN 3-923657-83-8 .

Web links

Commons : Starnberg Castle  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 47 ° 59 ′ 56.3 "  N , 11 ° 20 ′ 21.3"  E