Schloss Hersberg

Schloss Hersberg stands on a vine-covered hill of the same name about 500 metres from the shore of Lake Constance. It belongs to the municipality of Immenstaad, between Friedrichshafen and Meersburg in the Bodenseekreis. The complex is visible from far away and is set against the backdrop of the Hochberg drumlin, a prominent viewpoint 55 metres above the lake. To the west lies Schloss Kirchberg, once a summer residence of the abbots of Salem and later owned by the Margrave of Baden. The name Hersberg probably comes from the Old High German word for ridge. The building began as an outpost of the imperial abbey of Ochsenhausen in the 17th century. After secularisation in 1803 it passed through several noble hands, including the Metternich family and the Salm-Reifferscheidts. In 1847 the poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff stayed there as a guest. In 1929 the Pallottine order bought the estate and ran a late vocation seminary until 1992. During the Second World War the house served as a hiding place for officers threatened by the SS, saving them from execution. Today the south front shows a 44-metre-wide main building with a belvedere turret, flanked by side wings with stepped gables under ancient trees. The oldest part, built before 1551, was incorporated into the structure. A north-facing courtyard with outbuildings, a wine press and a chapel was completed in 1696. Inside, the prelate’s room has a rococo stucco ceiling from 1740. The Pallottines now use the site as a spiritual and educational centre, preserving the historic appearance while adapting the interior for modern use.