Wasserschloss Adelshofen

The Wasserschloss Adelshofen stands in the damp meadows of the Nesselbach valley, near the present-day town hall in Adelshofen. It was built in the 18th century on the site of a medieval water castle that had belonged to the counts of Neipperg. The earlier fortress was divided between owners in the 15th century before the Neippergs reunited it under Reinhard von Neipperg in 1434. The low-lying position meant the site was always surrounded by water-filled ditches. The castle was remodelled in the 17th century but suffered damage during the Thirty Years’ War. After repairs it was destroyed again in 1674 during fighting around the Battle of Sinsheim. A new building went up in 1716 under Eberhard Friedrich von Neipperg, complete with moats and built on the old foundations. His son Wilhelm Reinhard later served the Habsburgs in Vienna, and by 1755 the Adelshofen house stood empty. Today only the name of the former garden and the field called Schlossäcker remain. The old tithe barn from 1688 still stands in the village, a quiet reminder of the vanished estate. The vanished tower measured just three and a half metres across and eight metres high before it was taken down around 1920.