Mönchbruch Castle (Walldorf)

Mönchbruch Hunting Lodge was built by Landgrave Ernst-Ludwig around 1730 in the center of Mönchbruch. Ernst-Ludwig was an enthusiastic hunter who had introduced the parforce hunt in Darmstadt in 1708.

The Gießen master builder Helfrich Müller (1686–1759) drew the plans for the hunting lodge.

In addition to six manor houses, the entire ensemble included stables, coach houses, and various outbuildings.

Three of the residential buildings were auctioned for demolition around 1850 and rebuilt elsewhere in the Groß-Gerau district. However, as early as 1855, Ludwig III had the complex restored and established a head forester's office there.

In 1932, the Voluntary Labor Service, introduced under Reich Chancellor Heinrich Brüning, took up quarters in Mönchbruch, followed by the Reich Labor Service under the National Socialists.

After being used as accommodation for asylum seekers, foreign construction workers were housed in the hunting lodge until early 2003.

Since 1999, Mönchbruch Hunting Lodge has been privately owned and is currently being renovated. The first phase was completed in December 2008.

All measures follow the recognized principles of monument preservation in close consultation with the monument protection authority and the State Office for Monument Preservation.

The pavilions belonging to the hunting lodge will be renovated for use as guest houses, in accordance with their baroque concept, and will be integrated into the existing hotel operations of the Mönchbruchmühle. The central pavilion is to receive an additional use as an external branch of the Mönfelden-Walldorf registry office and an ecumenical chapel. In parallel, preparations are underway for the conversion of the economic wing located on the street for event halls, conference rooms, and hotel rooms. The design for this was already approved in the summer of 2008 by the participating representatives for monument protection and monument preservation. The annually recurring "Schlossgartenfest" (Castle Garden Festival) was created out of the idea of always making the progress of the ongoing renovation work and planning accessible to the interested public.

Source text: Wikipedia