A stateside reader, who plans on visiting Mainberg Castle this summer, inquired about its current state and whether the castle would be open to the public.
Based on various sources in the media, the castle is in urgent need of repair and restoration. The current owner, the real estate agent Ms. Renate Ludwig, bought the castle in 2005. She and her initial partners were in the process of running a restaurant there, until fire safety regulations deemed the castle not safe enough.
Now the castle is for sale on the internet, but there is no private investor to be found.
Interested? Then view: Mainberg Castle for Sale
At first, a team of experts checked to see if the deterioration stemmed from the underground tunnel, which was built during the Sachs Family reign during WWII. Their results further stated, that the tunnel itself would not be the main cause of a possible impending collapse. Wear and tear of a 700-year-old castle does run its course.
In 1915, the industrial tycoon Ernst Sachs bought the castle. Then from 1954 – 1960, the castle was owned by Wilhelm Heger, until it had to be auctioned off. The city of Schweinfurt bought it then and in 1982, it changed hands again. This time, the castle was owned Gerhard Eichhorn & heirs, until the current owner bought it in 2005.
Efforts are made to save the castle from its ruin. I wish the state funds would have been available sooner.
The current renovation is supposed to be finished by the summer 2018. Since we are in Germany, please add another two years for completion.