Schloss Aspenstein

Schloss Aspenstein stands on the shores of Kochel am See in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen. Built between 1675 and 1694, it began as a summer residence for abbots of Benediktbeuern Abbey. The two-storey Baroque building has a hipped roof and a small chapel wing. After the secularisation of 1803 it passed through several hands, including that of Baldur von Schirach. Since 1948 it has housed the Georg-von-Vollmar-Akademie, a centre for political education. The building’s history reflects Bavaria’s changing fortunes. After the monastery lost control in 1803, it was bought by a finance councillor, then a wine host, before passing to the Dessauer family. In 1936 Baldur von Schirach acquired it and restored the decaying structure. After the war the U.S. Army used it briefly, then it became a hostel for displaced persons before being handed to the Bavarian SPD in 1948. Visitors today find a calm educational campus beside the lake. The academy organises seminars in its seminar rooms and guest houses. The original Baroque chapel wing and the two-storey main building remain clearly visible. The lakeside setting offers views across Kochel am See and the surrounding Alps. The site is protected as a monument and a former residence.