Zobel Castle

The castle was the summer residence of the von Zobel family, a nursery, the seat of the girls' department of the Tauberbischofsheim agricultural school, a rural boarding school, a transitional dormitory, the environmental protection office, and since 2003 it has been the seat of the Main-Tauber district media center.

In 1840, the von Zobel family built their summer residence in Distelhausen, affectionately called the "new" castle by the residents of Distelhausen. During the 1848/1849 revolution, noble ladies retreated here from the turmoil of the unrest, as correspondence from 1849 proves. In it, they request the speedy return of the Grand Duke and the restoration of order in Baden. The nobles continued to use Villa Zobel as their summer residence until the late 1920s/early 1930s. Many older residents of Distelhausen still remember the noble ladies who resided in Zobel Castle. Later, H. Hörner bought the "Villa" Zobel. He was known for his beautiful and well-maintained castle garden. Part of the property included a nursery where the residents of Distelhausen could buy flowers, fruit, and vegetables.

In 1944, the Volkssturm unit Dittigheim-Distelhausen-Gerlachsheim drilled in the courtyard of Zobel Castle. However, they were never deployed. At the end of the war, the district administration planned to set up a hospital for tuberculosis patients in the castle - which, however, did not happen.

In the mid-1950s, the property passed to the municipality of Distelhausen, which sold the building and plot in 1957 to the then district of Tauberbischofsheim. The district decided to establish an agricultural school and a rural boarding school in the former manor house.

In 1957 and 1958, the building was renovated according to the plans of the Tauberbischofsheim architect Hans Heß. On the ground floor, a teaching kitchen, a dining room, a training room, and a teachers' room were created. On the upper floor, living quarters for students and teachers. The premises offered space for 24 female students. The park received new paths, and a model orchard was created for training purposes. In the outbuildings, a caretaker's apartment and storage and equipment rooms were set up.

On November 20, 1958, the first lessons began for the girls' department of the Tauberbischofsheim agricultural school. Due to the sharp decline in female students, classes could only be formed every two years from 1963 onwards. In 1970/71, the last course took place in Distelhausen.

From 1967 to 1988, the building was used as a holiday home primarily for disabled children and their parents and caregivers. When the first emigrants and resettlers from Russia and Poland came to the Federal Republic at the end of the 1980s, accommodation options were sought. Thus, from 1988 to 1994, the former rural boarding school became a transitional dormitory for resettlers and late repatriates from Eastern Europe. In 1995, the environmental protection office moved into the premises of the former Zobel estate. Since 2003, the Main-Tauber district media center has been located here.