Schloss Ahorn

Have you ever stumbled over a castle without meaning to? That's pretty much the story of Schoss Ahorn near Coburg and yours truly. I'm still not sure whether my navigation system simply got confused on the way from Schloss Hohenstein to Schloss Callenberg or if it has picked up on my love for castles instead and wanted to do me a favour. Because Schloss Ahorn is not along the most direct route between those two places but still it is where the GPS led me to go past - and after spotting this castle on the side of the road, I couldn't help but make a quick stop.
Schloss Ahorn is located in a small village by the same name. While today's castle dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, previous buildings located on the same site go back as early as the 11th century. It was actually part of the dowry of the Queen of Poland, born Richeza of Lotharingia. She inherited the estate from her own mother, Matilda, one of the daughters of Holy Roman Emperor Otto II and Theophanu. Richeza later bequeathed the estate to the Archbishops of Cologne who gave it to a nearby monastery for administration. This previous castle was destroyed during the German Peasants' War of 1525. 
It was Joachim von Rosenau who started with the rebuilding of the heavily damaged castle in 1555. Schloss Ahorn received its current Renaissance-style appearance thanks to the Lords of Streitberg around the year 1621. During the following centuries, the ownership of Schloss Ahorn changed numerous times. Owners included the noble Schaumberg, Muffel von Ermreuth, Hendrich and Baumbach families. In 1843, Schloss Ahorn came into the possession of the Barons of Erffa who continue to own and live at the castle to this day.  

Currently popular posts...

Why You Shouldn't Bother Watching "Sisi", the New TV Series By RTL

Image
Hi there! I watched a series today that was so bad it made be write the first blog post in one and a half years. Will I write more again in the future? I don't know, I guess we'll see. In the meantime, follow all my latest castle adventures over on Instagram . See you there! Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the immortal Sisi, has inspired the imagination of the people for more than a century now. Her life, her love, her tragedies, her death. Adored, free spirited and one of the original royal IT girls. A face that could launch a thousands ships, well, bring peace to two feuding nations by simply being her charming self. A woman that, 120 years after her death, can still draw crowds and be the foundation stone of what seems like half the tourist industry of several regions. (Okay, that might have been slightly exaggerated but have you ever been to Vienna and seen the souvenir shops?) So it's not too surprising that time and time again, cinema and TV productions have tried to ca
Read more

Sparkly Splendour: The Galerie d'Apollon and the French Crown Jewels at the Louvre

Image
When you think of the Louvre, you probably think of paintings and art - but it is also home to another kind of incredible craftsmanship: The French Crown Jewels. The Palais du Louvre , of course, served as a royal residence between the 14th and 18th centuries. And it is here in the  Galerie d’Apollon , a work of art in itself, where you can find a variety of tiaras and other bejeweled objects. The room owes its existence to King Louis XIV, who famously identified himself with the sun god Apollo. This gallery was one of his first building projects to represent that image. To create this masterpiece of architectural decoration, he summoned the greatest painters, gilders and sculptors of the day, who later also worked on the Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles .  But the focus of today's article shall be on all that glitters.   Personally, I always found royal jewellery a fascinating way to learn about history as oftentimes you can trace them through various royal families of
Read more

Leiningen/Prussia Wedding in Amorbach: The Guests (Part 1)

Image
On Saturday, Hereditary Prince Ferdinand of Leiningen and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia celebrated their religious wedding in the German city of Amorbach. As is the case when two royals get hitched, there were loads of royals and nobles in attendance. So without further ado, here's my first of - I'm sure - many, many posts of the wedding guests.  Prince Christian and Prince Philipp of Prussia, twin sons of Prince Adalbert.  On the left: Prince Christian-Ludwig of Prussia, son of Prince Christian-Sigismund.  Countess Marie of Limburg-Stirum.  Count Michael of Hochberg.  Prince Andreas and Princess Louise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. From left to right: (Probably) Princess Olga of Hanover, Prince Otto of Hanover, Prince Heinrich of Hanover, Princess Thyra of Hanover, Countess Marie of Hochberg (née Princess of Hanover), Princess Theresa of Leiningen and Princess Cecilia of Leiningen.  Another shot of the group.  Prince Otto of Hanover and Pri
Read more