Schloss Niederraunau

Schloss Niederraunau stands in Niederraunau, a district of Krumbach in the Swabian county of Günzburg. The three-storey building with its hipped roof was erected in 1733, replacing an earlier water castle. A Catholic parish church, St Maria und Allerheiligen, stands beside the castle, shaping the appearance of the small town. The castle’s history goes back to a water fortress and is closely tied to the Freyberg family, who ruled the area for nearly four centuries from 1477 to 1850. Neighbouring villages such as Hürben and Aletshausen once belonged to their domain. In 1525 the castle was looted during the Peasants’ War, and after the Thirty Years’ War it became the main residence of the Freybergs when their ancestral home was destroyed. The present building took its final form in 1844 after part of the right wing and the connecting passage to the church were removed. Inside, a spacious staircase hall lets in abundant light through large windows. The ground-floor rooms feature cross-vaulted ceilings, while upper floors have panelled ceilings above moulded cornices. Some original two-leaf doors remain, but most historic furnishings have disappeared. The cellar vaults may still date from the earlier water castle. A single-storey building north of the castle bears the date 1694 on its coat of arms.