The moated Kirchhausen castle was built between 1570 and 1576 by order of Heinrich von Bogenhausen (Teutonic Order). He replaced the old castle that was built by Thomas Knoll from Weinsberg, whose stone cutter’s mark is still visible today in the keystone of the archway.
Today, the moat around the castle is no longer filled with water. A stone bridge leads the way into the castle courtyard, which took over the former wooden draw bridge. To the left and right of the gateway construction there are arrow slits decorated as lion heads. The two towers served as a means of defence, then as straw stores, bull pens or cubicles for travelling tradesmen. The deanery is the oldest part of the castle.
In the last century the building has been used as a school house and town hall. It was renovated in 1965. Today it is the home of the Resident’s Registration Office of Kirchhausen.A castle festival takes place every two years. The castle can be visited during the Resident’s Registration Office opening hours.
References:Linderhof is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed.
Ludwig II, who was crowned king in 1864, began his building activities in 1867-1868 by redesigning his rooms in the Munich Residenz and laying the foundation stone of Neuschwanstein Castle. In 1868 he was already making his first plans for Linderhof. However, neither the palace modelled on Versailles that was to be sited on the floor of the valley nor the large Byzantine palace envisaged by Ludwig II were ever built.
Instead, the new building developed around the forester's house belonging to his father Maximilian II, which was located in the open space in front of the present palace and was used by the king when crown prince on hunting expeditions with his father.