At Mauren Castle, the past and the present converge, for this place between Stuttgart and Tübingen is the setting for a story of adaptation and resistance, of destruction and reconstruction.
The estate’s origins date back to the early Baroque period, when the renowned architect Heinrich Schickhardt was commissioned to design a castle. It remained virtually unchanged until World War II – when fog caused confusion: In October 1943, Allied bombers set course for Stuttgart but, due to poor visibility, flew toward Böblingen instead. The castle’s then-mistress, Else von Dusch, wrote in her diary about tremors, the whistling of falling bombs, and the glaring glow of fire – and about how the estate burned to the ground.
What to do with the ruins? In the years that followed, the remains of the once-magnificent castle were stripped down to the ground floor, and a temporary roof was installed. And then, for decades, the ruins and the garden sank into a deep slumber.
It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the property was given a new lease on life. The current owners – still the same family since 1872 – commissioned architect Ingo Bucher-Beholz to design a transformation: He proposed two modern residential cubes that would be built over Schickhardt’s castle ruins while also paying homage to them. At first glance, the solution seems bold; upon closer inspection, it appears thoughtful.
Anke and Felix Krohmer do not view Mauren Castle as a museum of their own family history – instead, they have transformed the castle and its gardens back into a venue for a broad audience. In the atrium, nestled within Schickhardt’s historic walls and beneath Bucher-Beholz’s cubes, a unique atmosphere takes shape: calming, focused, timeless.
Today, the historic hall offers space for gatherings and celebrations for up to 50 people. In addition, there is the castle garden and various outdoor areas – accommodating up to 100 guests for informal gatherings, outdoor dining, and picnics in the park. An outdoor kitchen with a wood-fired oven for baking pizza, as well as various spots for barbecuing and campfires, facilitate shared meals and communal gatherings.
Details
| Region | DE – Germany, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Ehningen, Mauren |
| Scenery | In the wild and romantic countryside of the Würm Valley, in a small hamlet with 35 residents, between Stuttgart and Tübingen; |
| Uses | |
| Number of Persons | |
| Accommodation | Holzgerlingen and Ehningen are each about 4 kilometers away; there are hotels in both towns. |
| Event rooms |
Historic vaulted hall (up to 50 people, indoor) |
| Equipment | Outdoor kitchen, wood-fired pizza oven, various barbecue areas, open fire, private lake (10-minute walk) |
| Special features | Modern cubes with Renaissance vaults, a spectacular “eagle’s nest” balcony, a dialogue between history and modernity; a listed castle ruin from 1617 with a modern residential cube superstructure, model on display at the German Architecture Museum in Frankfurt; |
| Design | Historic castle: Heinrich Schickhardt; modern transformation: Ingo Bucher-Beholz, Gaienhofen |
| Completion | 1617 / 2005 |
Impressions
0 Comments