Theuern Castle

Theuern Castle is a castle in Theuern, in the municipality of Kümmersbruck in the Amberg-Sulzbach district.

A family "von Theuern" can be traced back to the end of the 11th century (1092), which is also the first documented mention of Theuern.

As early as 1682, a "hunting lodge" was built at the current location of the castle by Johann Georg Portner. The Portners had owned the hammer mill, located in the area of the present castle, since 1518.

According to the church register, the foundation stone for this late Baroque castle was laid on August 25, 1780, with Joseph Christian von Lochner as the builder. The 17th-century hunting lodge was integrated into the new building. A castle is first mentioned in a source in 1482.

For the construction of the hammer mill owner's castle, the electoral master builder Wolfgang Diller from Amberg was engaged. Already in the 1770s, several outbuildings had been erected, thus creating a four-wing complex around a closed inner courtyard. The east facade of the three-story main building is adorned with a central risalit with a triangular pediment. The marital coat of arms of Lochner-Bibra is affixed in the pediment field. The massive main portal with pilasters and broken pediment dates – judging by its style – from the "hunting lodge" built in 1682. Inside, of the original room decoration, besides the staircase with richly carved railing, a "salon" on the first floor with carved Rococo doors has been preserved.

On September 17, 1816, Christian von Mann bought the Theuern estate from Countess Sophie von Hirschberg. His son, in turn, sold the estate on August 28, 1955, to Florian Dorfner. At that time, it comprised 1707 Tagwerk, of which 1561 Tagwerk consisted of forests. In 1935, the Dorfner family sold the forest estate including the castle to the Berlin timber wholesaler Breba.