Holdereggen Castle

Holdereggen Castle is a stately manor house with a park in the Aeschach district of Lindau. The castle, in Neo-Renaissance style with an English-Norman character, was built between 1887 and 1890 according to plans by the German-Austrian architect Georg von Hauberrisser from Munich for the entrepreneur Hermann Näher. It is a two-story building made of red sandstone from a quarry near Landstuhl. It has two towers, bay windows, and a terrace with an outdoor staircase. The grounds of the current castle were first mentioned in 1497 under the name "Holderegk".

Hermann Näher (1838–1908), born in Aeschach, who had become wealthy through tobacco and spice plant cultivation as well as ivory and precious wood export in Sumatra, returned to his homeland in 1879. In 1881, he married Louise von Gonzenbach and acquired the Holdereggen grounds to have a castle-like villa built there. The Villa Diehl previously stood on the building site.

Hermann Näher, who had been awarded honorary citizenship of Lindau on May 18, 1902, for his generosity towards the public, could not, however, live in the castle with his wife for long, as he fell into economic difficulties due to dishonest machinations by business partners, which culminated in a sensational bankruptcy. The castle became part of the bankruptcy estate, Näher died in 1908 during the proceedings, and in May 1910, Privy Councillor Adolph Brougier (1844–1934) became the new owner. He made the castle available as a military hospital during the First World War. Later, it passed into the possession of the family of his son-in-law Ludwig Seisser.

In 1937, the city of Lindau acquired the villa and the property and had them converted into a boarding school for the Higher Evangelical Girls' School. The name "Jungfernburg" (Maiden's Castle), still common in Lindau today, dates from this period. Since 1951, the city's music school has been located in the building. In addition, a special education support center, the Holdereggen Special School, an external branch of the Antonio Huber School in Lindenberg, is located here. The children's festival for the Aeschach district takes place annually in the castle park.

The area is said to have belonged to a Lienhard Holderegk in the 15th century. Derived from this name, the name "Hölderrecken" appeared in 1626 and "Holdereggen" in 1653. Another explanation points to elderberry cultivation in the Middle Ages.