To be privately owned
CastleMenningen
Menningen Castle
Menningen Water Castle is located near Menningen, a district of Meßkirch in the Sigmaringen district, Baden-Württemberg.
The former water castle is situated between the two formerly independent, immediately adjacent villages of Menningen to the north and Leitishofen to the south, on slightly elevated ground not far from the Ablach river.
In the 12th century, during the High Middle Ages, the first castle complex was built by the Lords of Menningen. The sources do not provide information on whether it was a water castle at that time, but this fact can be assumed, as the castle is located in the middle of the flat Ablach valley and would otherwise not have offered any significant protection.
In 1175, the present-day village of Menningen was first mentioned as Manningen. In 1391, the Gremlich von Jungingen family acquired the castle and the village of Menningen from the Lords of Zimmern. In 1348, the castle was owned by the Truchsessen von Rohrdorf. In 1437, Ulrich Gremlich is named as the new owner. In 1627, Menningen and thus also the castle passed to the Princes of Fürstenberg. In 1732, a new building was constructed by the Counts of Zimmern, and in 1855, the tower was demolished.
In 1852, the property was sold by the Princely House of Fürstenberg in Donaueschingen to the local parish, as part of the so-called parish benefice. Since then, there have been no changes of ownership, and the parish used the castle until 1974 to house the village priest as a rectory. After the priest's departure in 1974, the building was rented to private individuals until 2002.
Complex+
The three-story building, which the Gremlichen family liked to call a "villa," was formerly adorned with three towers, the last of which was demolished about 140 years ago. Access to the inner courtyard of the building, formerly surrounded by a moat fed by the Ablach, was only possible via a drawbridge.
Immediately after the purchase by the church community in the mid-19th century, a first renovation took place with questionable measures; for example, the already dilapidated stair tower was demolished and the current internal staircase was installed instead. Of the formerly two carriage entrances, one was bricked up, the other later served as a garage. The stucco ceilings of the time were removed and the moats were filled in.
The last major construction work on the building was carried out in 1964/65, when, under the then pastor Karl Stadelmann, a heating system, a small meeting hall, and a garage were installed. During these renovation measures, the baroque roof construction was preserved, but a ridge beam was installed that was not part of the original construction and was not in keeping with monument preservation. Of the castle character, only the generous room height and layout, as well as the mighty vaulted cellar, remained on the first and second floors. On the third floor, which was only half renovated, the two-story attic with its wooden construction conveys the architectural grandeur of the former representative building. The castle grounds measure approximately 70 by 70 m.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 48.0066, 9.1592