Achstetten Castle

Achstetten Castle stands in the southern German village of Achstetten, Upper Swabia, as a three-storey classicist mansion. It sits near the parish church of St Oswald and Agatha, the 18th-century inn Rössle, and the town hall. The building rises at the edge of the Rot valley to the east and overlooks a plain that leads to the Rottum valley to the west. A driveway about 150 metres long leads from the road to the main entrance. The castle is surrounded on three sides by a large park that contains an enclosure for fallow deer. The interior preserves notable features from different centuries. A classicist staircase rises through the centre of the house. Nineteenth-century furniture, an iron stove from 1798, and portraits of the Freyberg family remain in place. A porcelain collection is also kept inside. Outside, a covered wooden passageway about 100 metres long links the castle to the nearby church, allowing sheltered access for the family. The castle has belonged to the Reuttner von Weyl family since 1795 and remains their private home. Offices for estate administration occupy part of the building. The grounds include the park with its deer enclosure and a fountain added in 1996, restoring a feature from the original plans. The family still lives on the estate, which is not open to the public.