Schloss Backnang

Schloss Backnang stands on a hill above the town of the same name in the Rems-Murr district of Baden-Württemberg. It was designed by Heinrich Schickhardt in the early 17th century to replace an old medieval castle and a dissolved Augustinian monastery. The new building was intended as a residence for widows of the Württemberg dukes, though work never reached completion. The half-finished palace reflects the troubled history of the region. Construction began in 1605 but slowed after 1622 and stopped altogether in 1630 because of the Thirty Years’ War. A fire in 1693 damaged the shell, and in 1704 it was turned into a granary. Later, in the 19th century, it became the seat of the local district administration and was altered to house offices. Visitors today see a three-storey building with a pitched roof and dormers. The south-west corner once had a tall turret, removed in the 1870s and replaced by two shallow projections for staircases. Inside, the former courtrooms and offices still show the marks of administrative use, while outside the hilltop site offers wide views over Backnang and the surrounding valleys.