Löwenstein Castle

In 1721, Prince Dominik Marquard zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort – from the new Catholic line of the old noble family – acquired the lordship of Kleinheubach, including the Georgenburg built by Georg Graf von Erbach towards the end of the 16th century, from Friedrich Karl Graf zu Erbach-Erbach. The lordship of Kleinheubach fell to the Erbach family through the last Count Philipp von Rieneck via his wife Margarethe, Countess von Erbach.

Dominik Marquard had the new castle built between 1721 and 1732. The design came from Louis Remy de la Fosse, who had been the leading architect in Darmstadt in the service of Landgrave Ernst Ludwig von Hessen-Darmstadt since 1714. The execution of the work was carried out by the renowned Bavarian master builder Johann Dientzenhofer († 1726) from Bamberg and, after his death, by the master builder Rinscher from Mannheim. The sculptural works were by the Würzburg court sculptor Jakob van der Auwera; other well-known craftsmen were involved in the construction.

Due to its spaciousness with the three-winged courtyard of honor, the castle complex is considered an important late Baroque castle in southern Germany. The current castle ensemble was supplemented by several Neoclassical buildings: the greenhouse (1780), the servants' building (1807–1824), and the riding school (1812). The castle chapel was painted in the Nazarene style by Eduard von Steinle in 1870. The current owner of the complex is Alois Konstantin zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.