Schloss Eberstein, Black Forest

Nestling in Germany’s Black Forest and near to both Baden-Baden and Karlsruhe, Schloss Eberstein is a medieval era stately home & castle surrounded by acres of its own vineyards.

It is a a place to relax and be pampered and its Michelin Star winning food has gained a terrific reputation within Germany. It also offers cooking classes, and so is quite the place for foodies.

The setting is suitably gorgeous, the words fairytale-like immediately come to mind, with the castle sitting on a green hill overlooking the little town of Gernsbach, the Murg Valley and the Black Forest.

THE ACCOMMODATION:

Schloss Eberstein is a luxury hotel and you can certainly expect the highest levels of service and comfort. They have a choice of nicely furnished and decorated rooms; doubles and singles, all with private bathroom, minibar, WiFi, TV and seating. (Check your options on the booking page here.)

It must be noted that the accommodation is not in the castle itself but in the adjacent manor house. Both are impressive structures though and though the rooms are relatively modern is a general old world atmosphere throughout the hotel.

As mentioned before it is quite the fairytale setting; the views are lovely all around and there are some great hiking trails that run through the vineyards and around the hills.

As also mentioned before, the food at their main restaurant, the Michelin Star winning, Werner’s, is fabulous and of course somewhat overshadows the other, Terrace Restaurant, which is also a fine restaurant. Note: The Terrace is open every day but Werner’s is only open from Wednesdays to Sundays.

There is the opportunity at Schloss Eberstein to partake in some excellent cooking classes with head chef Bernd Werner. These take place on Saturday mornings from November until March. Write a request note to the hotel after booking page to reserve your spot. They also make excellent wines at Schloss Eberstein, their vineyards are just outside the door and vineyard-winery tours, tasting sessions etc. are all available.

THE LOCATION:

The castle sits on a hill surrounded by its own vineyards and overlooks the little town of Gernsbach and the Murg River Valley. This is the Black Forest, one of Europe’s most iconic rural landscapes with deep, dark woods and hills for miles around.

It’s great for long gentle hikes and walks through the forests with a few trails starting from the grounds of the hotel itself. Cycling is also popular in this area though there are a few hills around hills, and bikes can be rented from the hotel.

The famously sophisticated spa town of Baden-Baden is just 15km away, as is the Baden Wine Road which runs through many of the area’s best vineyards, historical sights and prettiest villages. Karlsruhe is about 40km away while Offenburg is about 70.

The main city in this region is Stuttgart which can be reached in a little less than an hour and a half, while Strasbourg, France can be reached in under an hour.

SOME HISTORY:

The first mention of the castle was in 1272 as one of two principle residences for the Counts of Eberstein, a local political dynasty who were the most powerful in the region of the time, more powerful even than the, more well known in the modern era, Margraves of Baden.

It is believed to have been built by Count Otto I (1207-1279) and though very little of this structure is still intact the original castle ramparts are still there. The Eberstein’s fortunes would take a few downturns over the centuries and, in 1387, debts forced Count Wolf von Eberstein to sell off half of the family’s lands to the Margrave of Baden.

They struggled on through the 15th and 16th centuries until, in 1660 and the death of count Casimir von Eberstein, their male line ended and with it the name Eberstein. Soon afterwards their entire lands would be in the hands of the Margrave of Baden. In 1691 much of the structure burned down and from then on it was used by the Margrave as not much more than a warehouse.

In 1798, Baden Margrave Karl Friedrich passed on the property to his son Friedrich who, over the next few years set about re-building the castle as a residence in the Neo-Gothic style.

In 1830 the interiors got another upgrade, again mainly in Neo-Gothic and the current restaurant was then built in what were the old stables. During the Baden Revolution of June 1849 the castle was attacked and somewhat looted, but otherwise survived as a kind of summer house/secondary residence for the Badens.

The centuries old connection with them would come to an end though in the year 2000 when Margrave Max of Baden sold it to the businessman Gerd Overlack, from Cologne but with strong local connections.

He undertook a major renovation and restoration of the castle and re-planted vines on the slopes of the hill on which it stands; ths simply titled Schlossberg or castle hill. Then, within a few short years, came the winery, the gourmet restaurant and of course the 4 star hotel, all of which would soon develop excellent reputations in their own right.

WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY:

“Wonderful stay in a fabulous castle hotel. One of the best hotel experiences in my life…”

“Fabulous. Magnificent location and charming place. Excellent cuisine and wines…”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE REVIEWS & TO CHOOSE YOUR ROOM OR SUITE AT SCHLOSS EBERSTEIN:

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Castle Hotels in Germany