Possenhofen Castle () is a

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...

complex and former palace located in Possenhofen on the western shore of

Lake Starnberg Lake Starnberg, or ''Starnberger See'' ) — called Lake Würm or ''Würmsee'' until 1962 — is Germany's second-largest body of fresh water, having great depth, and fifth-largest lake by area. It and its surroundings lie in three different Bava ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is best known as being the childhood summer residence of

Empress Elisabeth of Austria Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and List of Hungarian consorts, Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I of Austri ...

History

Possenhofen Castle was built in 1536 by Jakob Rosenbusch. It was destroyed during 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 ...

, then rebuilt. The palace passed through various owners before being bought in 1834 by Maximilian, Duke in Bavaria, father of Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, later the Empress of Austria. Possenhofen was used as the family's summer residence, with their winters spent at Herzog-Max-Palais in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. The palace served as a seat of the Dukes in Bavaria, a junior branch of the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

, until it became derelict after 1920. Duke Luitpold Emanuel sold Possenhofen, as well as Biederstein Castle in Munich-Schwabing, in order to build his late romantic

Schloss Ringberg Schloss Ringberg (Ringberg Castle) is located in the Bavarian Alps, 50 km south of Munich, on a foothill overlooking the Tegernsee. Not open to the general public, it is a property of the Max Planck Society and used for conferences. Histor ...

. Possenhofen subsequently served various functions—children's home, hospital, even a motorcycle repair shop—until being restored and converted to condominiums in the 1980s. It is not open to the public.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Starnberg (district) Castles in Bavaria