Gochsheim Castle

Kraichtal, Germany, Germany

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Gochsheim Castle, also called Graf-Eberstein-Schloss, is a historic castle in the Gochsheim district of Kraichtal in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, that began as a medieval fortress on a hill above the Kraichbach river and became a main seat of the noble House of Eberstein.

Starting in 1520, the Eberstein family rebuilt it into a Renaissance residence consisting of two connected palace buildings—a smaller forward palace and a larger rear palace—completed around 1580. After the last male Eberstein heir died in 1660, the castle passed through marriage to Frederick August of Württemberg-Neuenstadt, who renovated it and used it as his residence from 1682 until French invaders ransacked it during the War of the Grand Alliance; it was rebuilt after the war ended in 1700 and continued as a ducal residence.

The larger rear palace was demolished in 1828–29 due to deterioration, while the forward palace was modified in 1905 during school construction and has remained public property ever since. Today the castle houses Kraichtal's city museum and a public library, featuring about 100 works by local artist Karl Hubbuch, the world's largest collection of irons with roughly 1,300 items assembled by Heinrich Sommer, materials connected to Carl and Margarethe Krieger, and reconstructed cooper and smith workshops that showcase local history and culture.