Castle Vöhlin and its history
Vöhlin Castle in Illertissen with its beautiful grounds is one of the most remarkable sites in Bavarian Swabia. The castle, originally known as Castle Tissen, was built in the 12th and 13th centuries by the Counts of Kirchberg; in 1520 it was purchased by the merchant and patrician family Vöhlin from Memmingen and remained their private property for 236 years.
After 1803 the castle was significant in the region as the seat of many state and town offices and agencies. In mid-2009 the branch of the Neu-Ulm Local Court, the castle's most recent occupant, was dissolved. The main building and side wing of Vöhlin Castle have been available to the Augsburg, Kempten and Neu-Ulm Universities of Applied Sciences as a seminar, management and conference centre since 2010.
Chronology of Vöhlin Castle
- 2th century: Beginning of construction of Tissen Castle by the Counts von Aichheim;
- 1339: First documented reference to the castle
- 14th/15th century: The castle is the residence of the Counts von Kirchberg
- 1430: Kaiser Sigismund grants Illertissen market rights; the castle and marketplace are given a shared rampart and moat.
- Around 1495: Joining of the merchant and patrician family Vöhlin from Memmingen with the Augsburg Welser merchant dynasty in the Welser-Vöhlin Company. Beginning of overseas activities in the New World.
- 1520: Erhard II von Vöhlin acquires the castle and dominion over Illertissen.
Image: Illertissen City Archive
- 1524: Vöhlin Castle is severely damaged as a result of the Peasants' War.
- 1526-1529: Construction of the “rear castle”
- 1549: The “rear castle” is completely destroyed in a fire, reconstruction with wing for kitchen and servants.
- 1618-1648: Further damage during the Thirty Years' War
- 1705-1715: Renovations in the “rear castle” to build living quarters and stucco ceiling decorations
- 1756: The Vöhlin dynasty is at the brink of bankruptcy. The Bavarian Elector Max Joseph III acquires the castle. The 236 year reign of the Vöhlin family in Illertissen comes to an end.
- 1803: Vöhlin Castle becomes property of the Electorate in the course of the Napoleonic Wars and property of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1806.
- 1976: End of the headquarters of the District Office and Tax Office. Headquarters of the Neu-Ulm Local Court, Illertissen branch, remains.
- 2009: The Local Court moves from Illertissen to Neu-Ulm.
- 2010: Main building and side wing of Vöhlin Castle repurposed by the Augsburg, Kempten and Neu-Ulm Universities of Applied Sciences as a shared seminar, management and conference centre.
