Schloss Wächtersbach

Beschreibung

The founding of Wächtersbach dates back to Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, who had a hunting and security castle built here. The first mention of the hunting and security castle, along with a small settlement, today's Wächtersbach, was made in 1236 under the name "Weychirsbach" (= "the pond that feeds the stream"), from which the current name evolved. Already 100 years later, a fortified moated castle had developed. Various renovations and extensions followed. Count Anton I (1501-1560) should be mentioned in particular, whose coat of arms is located above the entrance next to that of his wife Anna von Wied-Runkel (the hoopoe). On the left on the oriel is the coat of arms of Anton's mother Amalia, a Countess of Rieneck. In the 19th century, the castle received its current architecture as a closed four-wing complex. The castle owners were the lords, later counts, and from 1865 princes of Büdingen/Wächtersbach. Already at the end of the 17th century the "County of Wächtersbach" was founded with the castle as a residence. The noble history of the castle ended in 1939 with a fire that destroyed the attic and severely affected the rest of the building. The princely family moved to Büdingen, the castle was restored and then used variably during and after the war. Most recently, the German Development Service operated a training center here until 1978. After that, the castle was uninhabited. It is now owned by the city of Wächtersbach and has been the city's town hall since February 2020.