Schloss Stepperg

Schloss Stepperg stands on the edge of Stepperg, a village in the district of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen. It is a three-winged building open to the west, once the seat of the local Hofmark. The castle lies beside the Usel stream and is listed as a monument under two separate entries. One covers the medieval and early modern remains on the site. The other recognises the standing buildings as a significant example of Bavarian architecture. The castle’s history reaches back to the 12th century, when local nobles acted as ministeriales for the Pappenheim family. Later owners included the Welser merchants, who built the present three-storey main wing in the late 16th century. The Freiherren von Servi acquired it through marriage and held it until 1789. The Kurfürstinwitwe Maria Leopoldine raised her sons Aloys and Maximilian here, turning the estate into a profitable farm. A garden pavilion is said to have been prepared for a visit by Empress Marie Louise after the fall of Napoleon. Today the castle is surrounded by a landscaped park designed by Friedrich von Sckell. Ancient trees and an 18th- or 19th-century enclosing wall frame the grounds. A Hermes statue by Ludwig von Schwanthaler stands among the paths. The park and the castle remain in the possession of the present Graf von Moy family.