Hofmark Affing

Affing House
Schloss Affing
Affing, Bavaria, Germany
Facade of the castle
Affing House
Coordinates	48°27′34″N 10°58′57″E / 48.459424°N 10.982513°E / 48.459424; 10.982513
Site history
Built	14th century

Affing House (German: Schloss Affing) is a stately home in Affing, Bavaria, Germany that has its origins in an early moated castle. It was the seat of a hofmark, a Bavarian feudal estate. After the old castle was destroyed, the schloss was built in 1682. It was burned down in 1927, but was rebuilt following the original design as closely as possible.

The schloss stands on an artificial hill. It is reached by a small bridge over the moat, which is now dry. There are fifteen steps leading up to the grand entrance. The richly-ornamented wooden door was made in the early 19th century and survived a fire in 1929. Above it the family emblem of the Barons of Gravenreuth, a unicorn, is at the left and the Bavarian lion is at the right. The building is almost square, with three stories and a tent roof.

The castle lies on the southwestern edge of a large landscaped area with a stream, pond, picturesque bridges and boat house. An Orangery built in 1830 with old Bohemian etched glass panels was used to preserve delicate plants in the winter. There is a grotto among the trees built in the 19th century by the Countess of Boullion, great-grandmother of present Baron, dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. A small pavilion was brought from the Paris Exhibition of 1900, from where visitors can look over the great lawn.

Outbuildings to the south were once used for carpentry, brewery, blacksmith and gardening. They have survived and are being renovated for new uses. The Orangerie was built in 1807 and expanded into its present form in 1871. It was later allowed to deteriorate. One wing collapsed and the roof of the Palm house was in precarious condition. Recently plans were made to renovate the building to contain a swimming pool, changing rooms and sauna, and two guest apartments.

The house was built on the site of a former moated castle, first mentioned in 1408. The two-story castle was built by Wolfgang von Waldeck. A woodcut by Philipp Apian from 1568 gives some idea of the original shape. It had a stepped gable roof and was surrounded by a moat. This early castle was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). In 1682 Johann Baptist Freiherr von Leyden built a schloss on the same site, which is depicted in an engraving by Michael Wening from around 1700. The castle had a chapel and various outbuildings around three sides of a square to the south.