Dallau Castle

Dallau Castle in Dallau, a district of the municipality of Elztal in the Neckar-Odenwald district in northern Baden-Württemberg, dates back to a former moated castle of the Teutonic Order, which was built in the middle of the 15th century on the site of a predecessor building and significantly rebuilt in the 16th century. The fortifications and most of the buildings of the complex were already demolished in the 18th century, so that the complex has since essentially consisted only of the former palas and a remaining tower.

Around 1300, a lowland castle was founded in Dallau as the seat of the then local lords of Dallau, the Lords of Heinriet. This first castle consisted only of a residential tower surrounded by a ring wall. The Teutonic Order acquired half of the village and the entire castle in 1416. After resolving open questions about the control of the outer bailey area, the Teutonic Order extensively expanded the castle between 1438 and 1451, replacing the old residential tower with the current palas with a stepped gable, which was built to the south and west on or against the old ring wall. The palas formed the main building of the complex, which was surrounded by a 20-meter-wide moat, partly double-walled, and equipped with four corner towers and a gatehouse. Beyond the moat to the west, there was also a walled outer bailey with various farm buildings, accessible from the village only through a gate tower. During the Peasants' War in 1525, rebels conquered the castle, but it remained without major damage. In 1529/30, the castle was rebuilt again and, among other things, extended by a multi-story kitchen annex on the north gable of the palas. In 1668, the complex came into the possession of the Electoral Palatinate, where it was not needed as an administrative seat and was only poorly maintained. The kitchen annex was demolished around 1700. In 1736, practically the entire remaining building stock, with the exception of the tithe barn in the outer bailey, was described as dilapidated. In 1740, some repairs took place, including a new roof for the tower that is still preserved today. By 1774, the defensive walls and most of the castle buildings, with the exception of the palas, a tower, and the tithe barn, had already been demolished and the moat filled in. In 1974, the complex came into the possession of the municipality. At that time, the first archaeological excavations to research the original substance took place during a new building in the neighborhood. Further investigations, a comprehensive building survey, and finally a monument-appropriate renovation followed from 1989. The renovation of the building was completed in 1995. Today, Dallau Castle serves primarily cultural purposes.