Köngen Castle

Königen Castle was initially built in 1392 as a castle by the local lord, the free imperial knight Hans Thumb von Neuburg. The Neuburg still exists today as a ruin north of Chur in Graubünden, Switzerland. Already in 1398, the castle was expanded into a four-winged moated castle. In 1520, the castle was severely damaged by troops of the Swabian League. Therefore, an almost complete reconstruction took place from 1520 onwards. The castle transformed into a Renaissance palace. In 1538, the showpiece, the Knight's Hall, was expanded, which is still preserved almost unchanged today. The renovations stretched almost throughout the entire 16th century. In Heinrich Schickhardt's catalog of works, it is mentioned that he added a gatehouse to the castle around 1600. This was demolished during the redesign by Dr. Jakob Friedrich Weishaar along with two wings. In 1825, Chamber President Jakob Friedrich Weishaar bought the property and had it redesigned according to his needs. Until the 1930s, it was a place of culture. The well-known "Bund der Köngener" was founded here, of which Gerhard Gollwitzer was also a member. The painter Christian Mali and the Dutch-German painter family Peters often stayed at the castle. It was named "Monument of the Month September 2004" by the Baden-Württemberg Monument Foundation. In recent years, 18th-century frescoes depicting figures from ancient mythology and history have been uncovered and restored on the east wall of the Knight's Hall.