Hofmark Affing
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Affing House () is a
stately home 300px, Oxfordshire.html" ;"title="Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire">Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a To ...
in
Affing Affing is a municipality near () Augsburg in Aichach-Friedberg district, in Swabia - Bavaria, southern Germany. The municipality covers an area of . Of the total population of 5,140, 2,591 are male, 2,248 are female, and 301 are of indeterminate ...
, Bavaria, Germany that has its origins in an early moated castle. It was the seat of a ''hofmark'', a Bavarian feudal estate. After the old castle was destroyed, the schloss was built in 1682. It was burned down in 1927, but was rebuilt following the original design as closely as possible.


Building

The schloss stands on an artificial hill. It is reached by a small bridge over the moat, which is now dry. There are fifteen steps leading up to the grand entrance. The richly-ornamented wooden door was made in the early 19th century and survived a fire in 1929. Above it the family emblem of the Barons of Gravenreuth, a unicorn, is at the left and the Bavarian lion is at the right. The building is almost square, with three stories and a tent roof.


Grounds

The castle lies on the southwestern edge of a large landscaped area with a stream, pond, picturesque bridges and boat house. An
Orangery An orangery or orangerie is a room or dedicated building, historically where orange and other fruit trees are protected during the winter, as a large form of greenhouse or conservatory. In the modern day an orangery could refer to either ...
built in 1830 with old Bohemian etched glass panels was used to preserve delicate plants in the winter. There is a grotto among the trees built in the 19th century by the Countess of Boullion, great-grandmother of present Baron, dedicated to
Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (; ) is one the Marian devotions, devotional names or titles under which the Catholic Church venerates the Mary, mother of Jesus, Virgin Mary. The name commemorates a series of Lourdes apparitions, 18 apparitions reported by ...
. A small pavilion was brought from the
Paris Exhibition of 1900 The Exposition Universelle of 1900 (), better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate develop ...
, from where visitors can look over the great lawn. Outbuildings to the south were once used for carpentry, brewery, blacksmith and gardening. They have survived and are being renovated for new uses. The Orangerie was built in 1807 and expanded into its present form in 1871. It was later allowed to deteriorate. One wing collapsed and the roof of the Palm house was in precarious condition. Recently plans were made to renovate the building to contain a swimming pool, changing rooms and sauna, and two guest apartments.


History

The house was built on the site of a former moated castle, first mentioned in 1408. The two-story castle was built by Wolfgang von Waldeck. A woodcut by
Philipp Apian Philipp Apian (14 September 1531 – 14 November 1589) was a German mathematician and medic. The son of Petrus Apianus (1495–1552), he is also known as the cartographer of Bavaria. Life He was born in Ingolstadt as Philipp Bienewitz (or Be ...
from 1568 gives some idea of the original shape. It had a stepped gable roof and was surrounded by a moat. This early castle was destroyed in the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
(1618–1648). In 1682 Johann Baptist Freiherr von Leyden built a schloss on the same site, which is depicted in an engraving by
Michael Wening Michael Wening (11 July 1645 – 18 April 1718) was a Bavarian engraver who is known for his many depictions of important places in the Bavaria of his day, including cityscapes and views of stately homes, castles and monasteries. The work has gre ...
from around 1700. The castle had a chapel and various outbuildings around three sides of a square to the south. Karl Ernst Graf von Gravenreuth came to live in the schloss. He was from a Frankish noble family that had emigrated to France. He was a friend of Napoleon, with whom he had studied at the French Military Academy. He emigrated to Bavaria when the French Revolution broke out. He became a minister of the Bavarian state, and was involved in arranging the secret Treaty of 1805 in which Maximilian I Joseph became king of Bavaria. The Emperor
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
(1769–1821) often visited the schloss.
Hortense de Beauharnais Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte (; , ; 10 April 1783 – 5 October 1837) was Kingdom of Holland, Queen of Holland as the wife of King Louis Bonaparte. She was the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoléon I as the daughter of his first wife, Joséphi ...
(1783–1837), stepdaughter of
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
and queen-consort of Holland, was also a frequent visitor. She is said to have donated the cast iron railings of the entrance bridge. In 1816 the Graf von Gravenreuth used money that Napoleon had given him in compensation for his lost properties in France to purchase the Affing ''hofmark''. The castle had been poorly maintained by the previous owner, who was struggling financially. Gravenreuth renovated the building, expanded the brewery and built a brick factory and a nursery to bring in revenue. His wife redesigned the landscape garden in the informal English style. There were no significant structural changes until 16 October 1927, when the castle was destroyed by a major fire, probably due to a faulty fireplace. Six firemen died fighting the blaze, but their hand pumps could not reach the top floor. Some antique furniture was rescued but many valuable objects were lost. The owner determined to rebuild the house exactly as it looked in 1694. The present castle is thus a reconstruction.


Gallery

File:Burg-Affing-Philipp-Apian.png, Aeffing Castle, woodcut by Philipp Apian (1568) File:Schloss-Affing-Michael-Wening-1.jpg, Schloss Affing c. 1700 - copper engraving by
Michael Wening Michael Wening (11 July 1645 – 18 April 1718) was a Bavarian engraver who is known for his many depictions of important places in the Bavaria of his day, including cityscapes and views of stately homes, castles and monasteries. The work has gre ...
File:Schloss-Affing-West-1.jpg, November 2007 File:Schloss Affing.JPG, Castle wall


References

Citations Sources * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Affing, Schloss Castles in Bavaria Buildings and structures in Aichach-Friedberg