Köngen Castle

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Landkreis Esslingen

Köngen Castle overlooks the town of the same name in the district of Esslingen. Its history begins around 1382, when the Thumb von Neuburg, a noble family from the Grisons, acquired Köngen through marriage; in 1392 they built a four-winged castle, soon reinforced with an outer bailey (lists) and a moat. Divided in 1463 into a front castle and a rear castle, the complex was remodelled in the Renaissance style in 1538-1539, then altered by the ducal architect Heinrich Schickhardt in 1614 and 1620. Passing gradually to Württemberg between 1666 and 1739 and damaged by fire during the War of the Palatine Succession, it then served as a bailiff's residence, granary and archive depository. After 1825 Jakob Friedrich Weishaar had two wings demolished and the moat filled in; Karl Marcell Heigelin transformed the remainder into a classical country house. Neglected at the end of the 19th century, the building was bought by the municipality in 1991, restored from 1995 to 2007 and reopened, with its knights' hall adorned with portraits of sovereigns, its chapel and its cellar accessible to the public.