Castle
Castle Dennenlohe - a unique baroque castle in Bavaria
When the electric gates buzz open, the baroque facade of Castle Dennenlohe, which has remained unchanged since 1734, greets its visitors.
The cavalry houses, gardens and the adjacent farm buildings date from the same period. High walls surround the castle and grounds and create an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.
The architect, not just for the castle but for the entire complex, was the Italian Leopold Retti, master builder at the court of the margrave of Ansbach and a master of German baroque architecture. Famous castles in Ludwigsburg and Ansbach as well as the "Neues Schloss" in Stuttgart were also drafted on his drawing board.
He designed Castle Dennenlohe for the diplomat Baron Eichler von Auritz. Since 1825 it has been in the possession of the Barons von Süsskind who have now lived there for eight generations.
The castle is the home of the baronial family and their Airedale terriers. In July and August the bush-roses blossom in the circular flower bed edged with box.
The castle and castle grounds are physically one entity, however the overall complex can be clearly divided into four separate areas, each with a different theme (as shown in the sketch of the layout).
From a historical point of view, the individual areas can be ascribed to two building phases.
From 1734 to 1750 the architect Leopold Retti designed not only the castle but a complete ensemble including the farm buildings and the Private Garden.
It was the present-day Baron Süsskind who added two further attractions to the ancestral family castle - the Rhododendron Park in 1990 and the landscape garden in 2006.
These additions have helped to promote Castle Dennenlohe’s popularity beyond the national boundaries.
