Schloss Waldsee

Schloss Waldsee stands beside the spa town of Bad Waldsee in the Ravensburg district. Built in the mid-16th century and later reshaped in the 18th century, it is a water castle surrounded by a moat. The present owners are the Princes of Waldburg-Wolfegg-Waldsee. The castle was once the main seat of the Waldburg-Wolfegg-Waldsee line until the late 18th century. Its history includes the birth of Georg III von Waldburg-Zeil, known as Bauernjörg, in 1488. The building also witnessed a major baroque expansion under Maximilian von Waldburg in 1745. The castle’s architecture reflects several styles. The main block is three storeys high with a hipped roof and two round stair towers at opposite corners. A central risalit on the front carries a gable bearing the family’s coat of arms. The chapel wing, added in 1745, is a domed central structure containing a fresco by Eustachius Gabriel. Outside, the former baroque pleasure garden was converted in the 19th century into an English landscape park. The Wirtschaftsgebäude date from the 17th and 18th centuries. Visitors can now book parts of the castle for events. The piano nobile holds the Maximiliana Hall, its walls painted with scenes by Adriaen Brouwer. The entrance hall and ground-floor library are also available. The second floor and attic have been converted into offices for a range of businesses. The surrounding garden offers long walks among mature trees, while the moat and outbuildings complete the setting.