Castle to Hopferau - The certainly oldest castle in Germany
The castle at Hopferau could tell many stories, as it is certainly the oldest castle in Germany: Built in 1468 by Knight Sigmund von Freyberg-Eisenberg as a hunting lodge, it was moved in 1830 by Domenico Quaqlio, the master builder of Hohenschwangau Castle, into the neo-gothic style.
Through the original entrance door, the visitor finds himself in a stylish reception hall: the Romanesque baptismal font from the 12th century made of native marble from the nearby Weißensee or the four sculptures, designed by sculptor Georg Halbich, a former castle owner
Worth seeing is also the historic boardroom with a continuous, hand-colored wallpaper, which was manufactured 218 years ago in the wood model printing process. In this form, only three wallpapers exist throughout Europe! The room is furnished with original furniture in the style of Ulm Baroque from 1900 with and two Italian tiled stoves from 1520.
The splendid Knights' Hall holds around 100 weddings a year. There are both the late Gothic wooden ceiling and the wall paneling from the founding years. From there, there is a small entrance to the Marienkapelle, a year-round chapel. The newly designed house chapel with a beautiful winged altar was made on the model of Tillmann Riemenschneider by the local carpenter Dopfer in Hopferau.
Castle of hospitality
Already in the 15th century, the builder of the castle to Hopferau, Knight Sigmund von Freyberg-Eisenberg to Hopferau, the reputation of a good host hurried ahead. In the oldest surviving castle of the Ostallgäu, this has remained the case until today: The popular staircase concerts take place regularly in the stairwell.
In 1946, the first fully automatic and programmable computer by inventor Konrad Zuse was commissioned at Schloss zu Hopferau. A landmark in history, the castle wrote in the years 1946-1949 with Konrad Zuse. The inventor of the computer, without whom a modern life would be unthinkable, lived in Hopferau from 1946 - 1949 and put the Z4, the first fully automatic and programmable computer, into operation in the cellar of the flour warehouse of the then bakery, today's Schlossparkplatz. Meanwhile, Konrad Zuse is the recognized father of the computer.
Art, culture and cuisine at its finest
Culture in the castle at Hopferau is not too short: Legendary are the regular staircase concerts with a varied program. In addition, culinary events and the Advent market on the first weekend of Advent.
Numerous art exhibitions complete the cultural offer.
Castle sightseeing daily from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
free guided tour on request.