Schloss Sindlingen

Schloss Sindlingen stands beside the village of Sindlingen in the municipality of Jettingen, a quiet corner of the Böblingen district. Built in the 15th or 16th century as a moated water castle, it was probably the work of the lords of Gültlingen, who held the Württemberg fief at the time. The original four-winged plan enclosed a courtyard, its plastered main block facing northwest. A landscaped park once surrounded the house, though only fragments remain today. In the late 17th century several farm buildings were added along the approach road, including a granary, a bakehouse and a solid plastered administrative building. The castle passed in 1640 to the Bernerdin von Pernthurn family from Carinthia, who kept it for many generations. In 1782 it was bought by Reichsgräfin Franziska von Hohenheim, née Freiin Bernerdin and later morganatic wife of Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg. She remodelled the interiors and spent every summer there after her husband’s death. The estate was sold in 1812 to the Princess of Colloredo and in 1840 to the Royal Hofdomänenkammer. In 1848 the cross-wing parallel to the main block and the west wing were demolished; the west wing was replaced by a new farm building. Today the castle houses a hotel, a restaurant and an equestrian centre. The remaining plaster façades still show the outlines of the lost wings, while the old granary and bakehouse stand along the drive. Visitors walk past the moat and through the remnants of the park to reach the main door. Inside, the hotel occupies the historic rooms once used by Franziska von Hohenheim. The stables and riding arena lie behind the modern farm building that replaced the west wing.