Friedenfels Castle

Friedenfels Castle is situated on a south and west sloping hill in the village of Friedenfels (municipality of Friedenfels) in the district of Tirschenreuth. To the north of the castle lies the large, four-sided enclosed farmyard, which in its current form probably dates back to around 1800, with the administrator's residence. In the southwestern corner of the farmyard, part of the former stables has been converted into an Evangelical castle chapel, consecrated in 1986. Immediately west of the farmyard, separated only by a path, stands the Catholic church. West of the church, amidst a larger lawn, stands the so-called "Small Castle," built in 1778 (chronogram on the portal frame), which was extended to the north in the second half of the 19th century. The castle building is located in the middle of a well-maintained park, whose oldest feature, an elongated avenue in the southeast of the park, probably dates back to the 18th century. The castle itself was built by Friedrich Sittich Notthafft von Weißenstein around 1590. The name of the castle "Friedenfels" is linked to the dispute between the brothers Christoph and Friedrich Sittich Notthafft, of whom their guardian once said it would not be good if they lived together in one house, even if they "kept two separate kitchens." The younger of the two was glad to have finally found peace from his brother after the inheritance division and probably named his new castle Friedenfels for this reason. The castle received its current appearance through a renovation based on plans by the Munich architect Emanuel von Seidel in 1900. Until 1882, Friedenfels Castle was owned by the Barons Notthafft von Weißenstein. Later, it came into the possession of Kommerzienrat Gustav Siegle (1840–1905) and, through his daughter Dora (1877–1955), to the Barons von Gemmingen-Hornberg. The castle and park are private property and cannot be visited.