Schloss Zeil, Renaissance castle in Leutkirch im Allgäu, Germany

Schloss Zeil is a four-winged Renaissance castle built from 1599 to 1614 for Truchsess Froben von Waldburg-Zeil, standing at 752 metres on a glacial moraine about 100 metres above Leutkirch. Its white walls and steep red roofs enclose a central courtyard; the main three-storey wing has evenly spaced rectangular windows and a central arched entry, with a square tower topped by a dark dome and a smaller spire behind. A long lower white building extends left, and smaller white outbuildings with red roofs stand before and beside the main block amid dense trees.

A small castle built in the Middle Ages by the Truchsessen von Waldburg stood on the site until it was demolished in 1598. From 1599 to 1614, Truchsess Froben von Waldburg-Zeil had the present four-winged Renaissance palace built, after first establishing a church and a house monastery. In 1945, members of the Vichy regime, including Marshal Pétain, briefly stayed here after being evacuated from Sigmaringen.

The castle is the residence of the descendants of the Princes of Waldburg-Zeil and also houses the parish church of St. Maria (Mariä Himmelfahrt). The interior cannot be visited, but the park and viewing terrace are open year-round. In the courtyard, a fountain created by Maximilian Rueß between 1982 and 1989 can be seen.

The interior remains private, but visitors can walk the grounds with their centuries-old linden trees, fountains, and classical statues. The location provides excellent vantage points for viewing the surrounding landscape and distant mountains.

In 1945 the castle briefly housed members of the Vichy regime, including Marshal Pétain, after they were evacuated from Sigmaringen. From 1961 the archaeologist Christoff Graf von Vojkffy lived there as a guest until his death in 1970; he had found the Venus of Mauern in 1948 and left his Stone Age collection to museums on Lake Constance.