Top 14 Castles around Opfenbach

Ratzenried Castle, also known as the Lower Castle, is located in the Ratzenried district of the municipality of Argenbühl in the Ravensburg district. It was built at the end of the 15th century by the Humpis family of merchants from Ravensburg and evolved over the centuries from a stately residence into a prestigious castle complex with a wealth of architectural features. The building represents the transition from a medieval aristocratic residence to a Baroque country palace and has been closely linked to the history of the Ratzenried estate for more than five centuries. Today, it houses the headquarters of the Humboldt Institute, an internationally oriented language institution, and the castle is considered a defining architectural element of the townscape.

In 1691, Land Commander Franz Benedikt von Baden acquired the Achberg estate for the Teutonic Order. In keeping with his noble status, he had the castle expanded between 1693 and 1700.

Neuravensburg Castle is always worth a break. It is also a popular destination in summer.🥰

Three-story pentagonal main building

Nice photo opportunity including the church.

Story. The castle was probably built at the beginning of the 12th century, in 1145 the Lords of Ratzenried were first mentioned. The reason for its construction was possibly the same as that of Praßberg Castle near Wangen in the Allgäu, which was begun in 1123. It was intended to secure the fiefs of the St. Gallen monastery in the region and collect the royalties from the courts. The lords of Ratzenried were also servants of the monastery. The Ratzenrieders died out at the end of the 13th century, but the new lords of the castle also called themselves von Ratzenried, they lost the castle again around 1350 and moved to the Ostallgäu. From 1353 the lords of Molpertshausen sat at the castle, in 1369 Hans von Molpertshausen was officially enfeoffed with the lordship by the St. Gallen abbot. About ten years later, the castle had to be sold again, among other owners it belonged to the Humpis of Ravensburg from 1453. They also called themselves Humpis von Ratzenried from the 16th century. Jos Humpis von Ratzenried had the castle restored in 1502 for 11,000 guilders, as it had collapsed down to the walls. They owned the castle until 1647. Razenried Castle was burned down by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War in 1632 and was not rebuilt for cost reasons. In 1806 the castle passed to the Kingdom of Bavaria, which ceded the Ratzenried dominion to Württemberg in 1810. The complex came from him in 1813 to the Counts of Beroldingen, and in 1908 the Counts of Waldburg-Zeil inherited the castle. Source: Wikipedia

Magnificent, but getting a bit old. Unfortunately, it can only be observed from the driveway, as it is private.

Unfortunately, only parts of the ruins remain of the once magnificent castle. Based on this and the reconstruction on an information board, one can well imagine how much space it once occupied. Little damsels & knights will definitely have fun exploring the grounds. 🪨✨️🤴🏻🧭👑⚔️👸🏼🏰✨️ It was very windy today, but generally there are some idyllic places to rest. A "local nobility in Ratzenried" was first mentioned in 1180. So the castle was probably built at the beginning of the 12th century. The castle was destroyed (and never rebuilt) on May 8th, 1632 by the Swedes.