Hofeck Castle

Hofeck Castle is a castle in Hofeck, a district of Hof. The origin of a first fortified complex in Hofeck dates back, according to current knowledge, to the Vogt of Weida, who in 1238 erected a fortified stronghold to protect his possessions around Hof and appointed a knight Murring. The presence of the Murring family and the associated name Murringhof lasted until the beginning of the 15th century. With the embrasure wall, Hofeck also had an outwork. In the following centuries, the owners changed frequently, with prominent local noble families selling the estate several times. These families include, in chronological order, the von Aufseß, Waldenfels, von der Grün, Kotzau, Redwitz, and Geilsdorf. After the fief reverted to Margrave Christian of Bayreuth in 1618, Landeshauptmann Heinrich Reuß II appeared as the new owner in 1620. This was followed by other local noble families, the Dobeneck and Lüchau. In the 18th century, when frequent changes of ownership and the presence of originally more distant noble families were not uncommon anyway, the families von Beulwitz, Marschall, Reubold, Plotho, and Sichart appeared. Finally, in 1874, the property passed to the Reichenbach manufacturing family Grabner. Through further owners, the castle came into the possession of the entrepreneur and native Hofer Hans Vießmann in 1972, who extensively restored it and put it to new use as a training center.

As a fortified castle complex, the seat was built on a rocky spur. The building has undergone numerous changes and extensions over the centuries. A division of the complex between two owners lasted for a long time. The castle complex with its representative access is embedded in a park-like forest.