Explore the house and the region
History of the estate
The first officially mentioned owner of Schlößchen Hildenbrandseck was Marx von Hiltbrandseck, who was a prominent clerk in the Palatinate administration. Starting in 1528, he also served as a ‘Landschreiber’, a historical version of the treasurer, and worked under the elector Ludwig V of Palatinate. Schlößchen Hildenbrandseck was built in Renaissance style around 1540. For hundreds of years, the castle has been located between the villages of Königsbach and Gimmeldingen, surrounded by vineyards. It sits on the southern shore of the little stream Erlenbach, which used to be the border between the historical Kurpfalz (Electoral Palatinate) and Hochstift Speyer. In the early nineteenth century (1803), after having been auctioned off to the state, the castle was significantly remodeled and extended. Today the listed estate stands tall as a two-winged annex, and was extensively restored between 2007 and 2012 by the von Oettingen family.
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21.08.2019: Harvesting of Figs
31.07.2017: Living in your own castle – Schlösschen Hildenbrandseck
28.07.2017: Owning a castle – interview with Susanne and Manfred von Oettingen
15.06.2015: Heritage award for Schlösschen Hildenbrandseck
The media reported from the restoration of the castle – articles from Die Rheinpfalz (in German):
20.06.2015: Beauty of the aged
04.12.2014: Peace and quiet – all by itself
“Privatissimo! Sieben der schönsten Privatunterkünfte in der Pfalz” erschienen im Pfalzclub Magazin, Sommerausgabe 2014
09.11.2013: Glücksspirale and other good news
03.27.2013: Spend the night in a listed monument
06.16.2011: Final sprint for the little castle
09.10.2010: Slow, but steady progress
04.20.2009: A little angel flew in
09.16.2008: No vermin unrepresented
09.11.2008: Going to the bottom with history
Die Pfalz, the Palatinate: Wine – Nature – Culture
Wine, figs, almond trees and chestnuts thrive in the mild climate of the German wine route; every weekend there is a wine fest. The biosphere reserve Pfälzer Wald-Nordvogesen attracts hikers and cyclists with its grand scenery. The cultural gems are within sight; Castle Hambacher, the old imperial city Speyer with its impressive imperial cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage), Neustadt with its historical city center and the surrounding wine villages. The Palatinate is a soulful German landscape. And France is very close… Explore the region with its multifaceted possibilities for connoisseurs and sportsmen:
www.gimmeldingen.de
www.german-wineroute.com
www.pfalz.de/en
Worth a visit
| Neustadt an der Weinstraße (historical, timbered city center) |
5 km |
| Deidesheim (picturesque winegrowing little town, Cittaslow) |
5 km |
| Castle Hambach (birthplace of the German democracy) |
9 km |
| Edenkoben (Villa Ludwigshöhe, Max Slevogt exhibition) |
18 km |
| Bad Dürkheim (Hardenburg castle ruin, Limburg abbey ruin) |
11 km |
| Speyer (Roman imperial cathedral, SchUM, historic city center) |
30 km |
| Trifels Castle (imperial Staufer castle, Kaiser castle) |
43 km |
| Schwetzingen (Baroque castle and castle garden) |
44 km |
| Worms (imperial cathedral, Nibelungen city, SchUM / Jewish Worms) |
46 km |
| Heidelberg (Renaissance castle, university, historic city center) |
52 km |
| Wissembourg/Alsace region, France |
54 km |
| Strassbourg/Alsace region, France |
111 km |
For the active
Hiking – Many thousand kilometers of hiking trails are waiting to be discovered and explored in the Pfalz – more than 800 kilometer thereof have been rated especially good. It does not matter if it is in the Rhine area, in the Palatinate forest, along the German wine street or in the Palatinate mountains and on the Donners mountain, when you hike in the Palatinate, you can choose between many different types of landscapes and hiking paths. You’ll find the high-rated “Palatinate wine path” right outside of our door, together with lots of other exceptional hiking trails.
www.pfaelzer-wanderwege.de
Biking – The Palatinate is paradise for bikers – and you can choose yourself: 23 nationally important bike routes of almost 1500 kilometers invite you to discover the Palatinate on two wheels.
www.pfalz.de/freizeit-und-erleben/radwege-in-der-pfalz
www.fahrradverleih-nw.de
Mountain Biking -The diverse low mountain range of the Palatinate forest with its fine net of little road offer the perfect setting for the demanding mountainbiker. Here you will find variation and difference in altitude, tough uphills, demanding tracks cross the mountain and steep downhills. A highlight is the mountain bike park in the Palatinate forest which has over 300 kilometers of marked tracks on all levels of difficulty.
www.mountainbikepark-pfaelzerwald.de
Climbing – “Klettergarten an der Heidenburg” is a crag, a rock climbing place in the old quarry of Gimmeldingen and contains around 80 climbing routes from difficulty 1 to 9.
www.my-klettern.de
