I discovered an enchanting Victorian-style castle with Scottish architectural elements surrounded by 6 hectares of castle grounds in the municipality of Gondelsheim. This castle, which is now privately owned, dates back to a previous building. This was an administrative building belonging to the Barons of Mentzingen, which had existed since the 17th century and was purchased in 1784 by the then Prince Ludwig I of Baden, who had it converted into a castle between 1806 and 1812. Under his leadership, the castle park was also created in the style of an English landscape garden, designed by architect Johann Zeyher, and in 2003 a magnificent nymph fountain was added to the entrance roundabout. This is a replica of the nymph fountain of the “Three Dancing Girls” by Walter Schott from 1903. The nymph fountain was donated by a private donor and is owned by the municipality. After the death of Prince Ludwig I of Baden, the castle, which was his private property, was inherited by his illegitimate descendant, Count Ludwig Wilhelm August von Langenstein. Between 1837 and 1861, he had the castle redesigned in the Scottish Neo-Gothic style with its characteristic battlements and window openings by the architect Georg Jakob Schneider. As the count died without descendants, his nephew, Count Wilhelm Douglas, inherited the castle. He had another wing built in Art Nouveau style with decorative ornaments on the north and east sides. In 2010, Axel Count Douglas sold the castle to a businesswoman from Heidelberg. The castle with its magnificent castle park is the landmark of Gondelsheim, but it is not open to the public.
