Gralglas-Museum Dürnau

Description

In the centre of Dürnau in the district of Göppingen, the moated manor house Dürnau presents itself as a historic manor with medieval roots, the greater part of which was demolished in 1845.

The complex changed hands several times: it probably originally belonged to the Dürners of Dürnau and passed to the lords of Westerstetten in 1382. A deed from that year raises doubt about whether it was habitable at the time. In 1478 the property went to the lords of Zillenhardt; in 1623, upon the extinction of the male line, it passed to the von Degenfeld family. After a period of decay, a member of that family had renovations carried out on his return from the Turkish Wars; repairs are also documented on the foundations of the "Neues Schloss" (New Palace). A sale to Bavaria in 1684 was later declared unlawful. In 1711 half of the estate returned to the Degenfelds; over the course of the 18th century the family was able to reunite the entire property, although parts of the estate had at times been transferred elsewhere. As early as 1765 reports mention the poor structural condition, and in 1771 the Degenfelds moved their residence to Eybach. With the end of the imperial knighthood in 1806, Dürnau became part of Württemberg; survey records of that time described the castle as near ruin and uninhabited. In 1845 the main buildings were demolished. From 1999 the site was redeveloped as part of urban renewal and partly built over; these measures were accompanied by archaeological investigations commissioned by the State Archaeological Office.

Historically documented structural elements include the still-existing gatehouse and an arched bridge, which was built in 1761/62 and was uncovered again during a town-centre renovation. An illustration from 1602 already records the appearance of the complex; the Dürnauer Salbuch of 1686 lists a gatehouse, several threshing barns (Tennen), a forecourt with a moat, barns and stable buildings. Also preserved are a vaulted cellar and parts of the outbuildings, which are now used commercially. The gatehouse houses, among other things, the Gralglasmuseum.