Sandsee Castle

The circular fortress Schloss Sandsee is located near Pleinfeld in Middle Franconia, in the Mischelbach district of the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district in Middle Franconia, on the 455 m high Weinberg and is designed as a stronghold.

The castle was probably built in the 12th century by the Lords of Hirschberg. In 1278, a Rüdiger von Dietenhofen was named as administrator of Sandsee Castle. Count Gebhard von Hirschberg sold the castle to the Prince-Bishopric of Eichstätt in 1302. The complex served the Eichstätt (Prince-)Bishops as an official residence and hunting lodge.

During the war between Duke Ludwig of Bavaria and Margrave Achilles of Ansbach, the castle was destroyed in 1462. Bishop Wilhelm von Reichenau had the damage from the Margrave War repaired in 1467, as evidenced by a coat of arms on the west wing. Bishop Martin von Schaumburg had repairs carried out on the old palas in 1572.

The defensive oriel was added in 1621. During the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648), the castle was burned down in 1632 and 1636 respectively. Around 1660, the castle was rebuilt under Prince-Bishop Marquard Schenk von Castel.

The roofing of the keep had to be renewed after a lightning strike in 1782. Through secularization, the castle fell to Bavaria in 1815, and in the same year, the Bavarian King Max I Joseph gifted the castle, along with the Ellingen Thronlehen, to his deserving general Carl Philipp Fürst von Wrede as a token of appreciation for his services. A castle chapel was built into the lower floors of the west wing in 1902. Since 1941, Schloss Sandsee has been used as an outsourced depot for the Nuremberg State Archives. From 1950 to 1955, Schloss Sandsee was used as a diocesan youth center by the Diocese of Eichstätt.

Today, the castle is inhabited by Carl Friedrich Fürst von Wrede and his wife Katharina Fürstin von Wrede. The castle also houses Katharina von Wrede's art workshop Nova Silesia.