Jagdschloss, Hunting lodge and forest house in the Rhön near Bischofsheim, Bavaria, Germany
Jagdschloss Holzberg is a three-part estate about 15 metres wide and 80 metres long, aligned north-south, at 773 m on the southwestern slope of the Rhön. Its oldest section is a two-storey plastered forest house of 1614 with a nearly square three-storey tower of rough stone on the east side; sandstone-framed windows are dated 1695, 1748 and 1795. The southern neo-Romanesque lodge wing was added 1909–1911, with two round corner towers under conical roofs and a rough-stone south facade.
The oldest part, a hunting and forest house, was built in 1614 for Würzburg prince-bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn; his sandstone coat of arms and the date remain above a door with a small stair. The estate passed among Rhön noble families and in 1850 went to Baron Constantin von Gebsattel for 7,050 guilders. In 1902 the Danish count Paul Fredrik Schimmelmann bought it, and from 1909 to 1911 the neo-Romanesque castle wing was added, echoing Schloss Lindenborg in North Jutland.
The name Holzberghof recalls the Danish count Paul Fredrik Schimmelmann, who bought the estate in 1902 and built the neo-Romanesque southern wing between 1909 and 1911; it was then called "Schloss Frederikstein" after him. In the dining room, modelled on a knights' hall, meals are still served by the light of petroleum lamps, as the estate was only connected to the power grid in 2009.
A large car park sits directly on the Hochrhönstraße, from which a roughly 500-metre spur path leads to the Holzberghof. The estate stands at 773 m on the southwestern slope of the Rhön, about 300 metres west of that road and a few kilometres north of Bischofsheim. It serves as a starting point for circular and high-level walks into the Lange and Hohe Rhön.
The south tower has a wayside shrine from 1820 built into the wall, said to show the Holy Family. The estate was only connected to the electricity grid in 2009, so the dining room, modelled on a knights' hall, is still lit by petroleum lamps.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,249 contributors worldwide.