New Castle (Höchst)

Höchst Castle was the residence of the officials of the Mainz Archbishopric in the former city of Höchst am Main, today a district of Frankfurt am Main. It consists of the Old Castle, built between the 14th and 16th centuries, and the New Castle, built at the end of the 16th century. Both are now owned by the German Foundation for Monument Protection. Since 1957, Höchst Castle has been the focal point of the annual Höchst Castle Festival.

Reliable data on the origin of the complex known as the "New Castle" are not available, and its further history is only sparsely documented. The building probably dates from the late 16th century and was likely a former noble court. With the expansion of the city and the development of Höchst Castle in the late 16th century, it became the New Castle, also known as the "Cavaliersbau". It served as an electoral guesthouse. After secularization in 1803, the complex passed to the Duchy of Nassau and in 1866 to the Prussian financial administration. In the mid-19th century, the New Castle was owned by the Andreae-Winkler family, who ran a wine business here until 1863.

In 1908, the von Brüning family bought the entire Höchst Castle complex from the Prussian financial administration and used it as a residence and guesthouse. The property later passed into the possession of the von Brüning Family Foundation. During the French occupation of Höchst between 1918 and 1930, the castle was confiscated by the French and used as an officers' casino. From July 1945 to 1966, the studios of AFN were located in the New Castle.

Hoechst AG acquired the entire castle complex in 1962 from the von Brüning Family Foundation and established the New Castle as a representative guesthouse in 1972. In the course of Hoechst AG's transformation into a management holding company, the complex passed to Infraserv Höchst, which sold it to the German Foundation for Monument Protection for a symbolic price on January 1, 2002. The catering is leased to Eurest Deutschland. The New Castle serves as an exclusive event venue with upscale gastronomy and a cultural supporting program.