Eismannsberg Castle

Christoph Elias Oelhafen von Schöllenbach was not satisfied with the 16th-century manor house after acquiring the Hofmark and had the new castle built in 1726. It was erected slightly west of the old main building as a large three-story structure, whose outer walls were constructed from large ashlar blocks of tufa. A mighty three-story hip roof has since spanned the new castle. It contains a large cellar system, which was probably connected to the Hofmark brewery. Inside, there are numerous 18th-century stucco ceilings. The 72 sqm hall on the first floor still features two Italianate fireplaces with rich stucco profiling. The two large German fireplaces from the construction period have also been preserved to this day.

Above the main entrance in the middle of the eastern facade, beneath a canopy, proudly displays the alliance coat of arms of the builders, Christoph Elias von Oelhafen and his wife Anna Maria, née Gwandschneider from Nuremberg. For years, the Nuremberg citizen and Palatinate Hofmark lord also served as administrator of the imperial city office of Altdorf. In 1736, Christoph Elias died and was buried in the new Oelhafen crypt in the Eismannsberg church. His son Jakob Christoph managed the Hofmark Eismannsberg until his early death in 1749. His brother Georg Christoph, at times General Field Marshal Lieutenant of the troops of the Franconian Circle, died unmarried in Eismannsberg in 1779. In the late 18th century, Jakob Christoph's son Georg Christoph the Younger was the Hofmark lord. In the early 19th century, he was succeeded by Karl Wilhelm, then Karl Christoph von Oelhafen. With the legal abolition of manorialism in 1848, the Hofmark jurisdiction and the patrimonial, i.e., lower jurisdiction, also ended. In 1859, Karl Christoph and Wilhelmine von Oelhafen finally sold the castle to private individuals. Since 1901, it has been in new family ownership. The Wild family has restored it with great dedication and effort in recent years.