Stables @museum.de

F: You are standing in front of the castle’s former stables, where the princes of Hohenlohe-Langenburg stabled their horses from 1450 onwards. There’s a car park in front of the stables now, but in the old days, that area was a riding arena where tournaments – jousting – took place.

Along with the neighbouring building, the “Fruchtkasten”, (about which more later), the stables are one Langenburg castle’s oldest stone buildings. Its northern wing once housed the dairy, some utility rooms and the cowshed.

M: In 1970, the German Automobile Museum moved into the stables – with many classic cars, including the Mercedes limousine in which Queen Elizabeth visited Langenburg Castle in 1965. We still have a number of vintage cars on display in there.

F: The upper floor once housed the staff quarters. Today, there are two spacious holiday apartments up there, furnished by Princess Saskia with loving attention to detail.

M: The stone building to the right of the stables used to be called the “Fruchtkasten” – literally the fruit crate. This 17th century building served as a storehouse for fruit and grain. It was also where the local farmers handed over their tithes, the tax they had to pay in the form of a tenth of their harvest.

F: Take a look at the beautiful crow-stepped gable. What an attractive contrast with the flat-roofed stables and the adjoining half-timbered buildings!

M: Later, the fruit and grain store served as a coach house for the princely family's carriages. It has retained the name “coach house” – or “Remise” in German. Today, it hosts events in rooms with a rustic atmosphere.

F: The attractive half-timbered house to the right of the coach house is the old coachmen's house, which provided accommodation for the coachmen and foresters. Today this listed building contains two holiday apartments.

M: The Hofratshaus opposite, where court officials were housed, is the last stop on your walk.