Schloss Benzenhofen

Schloss Benzenhofen stands in the countryside near Berg in the Ravensburg district of Baden-Württemberg. Built between 1898 and 1901, it is a two-storey rendered building in the Tudor style. A four-storey square tower rises from the centre of the front façade, topped by a crenellated walkway. Round three-storey towers with crenellations flank the front corners, while the rear façade features small crenellated turrets and a central projecting bay.

The building is worth visiting for its unusual history and architecture. Otto Benze, who styled himself Benze von Benzenhofen, commissioned the castle during a period of legal disputes over his claimed noble title. The interior once housed a notable art collection that included works by Rubens, van Dyck and an unknown Venetian master. After financial ruin led to forced sale in 1932, the castle passed to the Pfeiffer family, who still own it today. Franz von Papen later lived there and wrote his memoirs on the premises.

Inside, the castle retains its historicist interiors with oak panelling and ornate fireplaces. Visitors can admire the central tower’s crenellated walkway and the façade’s decorative gables. The surrounding parkland includes former farm buildings such as a bakehouse, wash kitchen and smithy. Views extend over meadows and fields that once formed part of the estate’s working farm.