Wasseralfingen Castle

Wasseralfingen Castle is a 16th-century castle located in the Wasseralfingen district of Aalen in the Ostalbkreis. It is based on a 14th-century moated castle.

The first mention of a manor house in Wasseralfingen occurred in 1337. In that year, Counts Ludwig and Friedrich von Oettingen gave their consent to the low-ranking nobleman Ulrich von Ahelfingen to build a moated castle. In 1382, the Wasseralfingen line of the Lords of Ahelfingen had to divide their property as it had died out in the male line. The village and manor house were divided into a front and a rear half. The rear half went to Ulrich von Horn, while the front half went to Ulrich der Hagger. While the rear half remained in the possession of the von Horn family, the front half changed hands several times. In 1479, the Ahelfingen family line in Hohenalfingen regained possession of the castle. However, after the death of Wolfgang von Ahelfingen, the last male heir of the family, in 1545, the castle came into the possession of Ellwangen Abbey. This allowed the abbey to establish an Oberamt (senior administrative district) from the possessions of the Ahelfingen family in Oberalfingen and Wasseralfingen. The responsible Oberamtmann (senior administrator) had his seat in the castle. In 1590, the abbey had the castle in Wasseralfingen demolished and, instead, built the present four-winged castle with an inner courtyard by 1593, which was rebuilt again in 1729. As a result of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss (main resolution of the Imperial Deputation), the territories of Ellwangen Abbey passed to Württemberg. The castle later briefly housed the seat of the Württemberg Oberamtmann for Aalen, after which it was the seat of a chief forester. In 1817, due to the construction of an ironworks nearby, the castle was converted into apartments. Since 1992, the building has housed a school for children with speech impediments.