Ebracher Hof Castle

The Ebracher Hof Mainstockheim will forever be associated with the name of its art-loving builder, Abbot Johannes von Dressel of Ebrach. He had the magnificent administrative court built from the ground up. The construction period is estimated to be from 1618 to 1630. The architect of the court, at least a significant figure in this field, is unknown. The manner of execution bears good witness to the artistic taste of the builder: a stately, castle-like building in the style observed in so many similar constructions from the era of Julius Echter. The monastery court of Mainstockheim had already stood for almost a hundred years when Abbot Wilhelm Söllner of Ebrach (the "Sun Abbot") had some rooms of the castle decorated with elaborate stucco work in the Rococo style.

Under the same abbot, the imposing garden complex was also created between 1727 and 1734, laid out on over 4,600 m2 on several levels – quite similar to the models of Baroque garden architecture of that time: starting in the castle courtyard, with a terrace and a concluding balustrade – flanked by 2 pavilion buildings with elegantly curved French mansard roofs (the southern one of the two burned down in 1872 and was rebuilt in its current form).

Also from the time of Abbot Söllner is the stucco ceiling of the house chapel, decorated with colorful figures, the Immaculata Garden with a wall fountain and statue of Mary, 5 ornamental fountains, some connected with grottoes, as well as the addition of the surrounding wall. The balustrade of the upper level featured stone figures – "The Four Seasons" – as a crowning (the figures are now in the castle building). An elegant double-flight staircase leads down to the next level. The water supply was provided by a spring originating on the mountain side with a downpipe and still functions today in the middle terrace area.

Through secularization, the court came into the possession of the Electorate of Bavaria in 1803. After valuation and inventory of all assets, it was auctioned off to private ownership in 1804. The administrative castle with its associated garden passed through a series of owners who partly removed the original furnishings and also made changes to the garden.

In the second quarter of the 19th century, during the time of a Jewish owner of the administrative court, a "mikvah" (ritual bath) for the Jewish citizens of Mainstockheim was built in the southeast corner of the lower terrace. It leads down 14 steps, is still present, and is an important historical testimony.

From 1903 until after the war, wine merchant Wilhelm Schneider from Mainstockheim was the owner. In 1961, the parents of the owner Gabriele Brandner acquired the property from the ownership community of Schneider, Beck, and Lauck. The Ebracher Hof had long been only partially inhabited and in the worst possible condition. Rainwater had to be collected in many tubs under the roofs.