Christmas and New Year Tours

The history of the town of Tettnang is closely linked to the Counts of Montfort. A representative testament to this is the New Castle (www.schloss-tettnang.de). Visitors can tour the main floor with its staircase cabinets, living, and festivity rooms. The stuccowork is among the most significant secular creations of the Baroque and Rococo periods in Upper Swabia. The rule of the Counts of Montfort once extended around the eastern Lake Constance. Tettnang was the northernmost point, while Feldkirch (Vorarlberg) was the southernmost point of their territory. The New Castle in Tettnang documents the princely claim of the Counts. The Baroque four-winged structure from the 18th century stands architecturally in line with the great castles of Europe. The rooms of the main floor are considered jewels of the Rococo style. The Green Cabinet resembles a precious garden pavilion inside the castle. The masterpiece of interior design comes from the famous Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer, who created the figures and the latticework from stucco. The so-called "Vagantenkabinett" houses expressive portraits of the "Vaganten": musicians, showmen, traders, and craftsmen who once populated the squares and streets of the towns. The builders and patrons of the castle were the Counts of Montfort, who ruled over the Tettnang territory since the 12th century. After the extensive destruction of the first castle building by a fire in the mid-18th century, the noble family commissioned the New Castle, despite being heavily in debt. Master builder Jakob Emele oversaw the reconstruction of the castle. Count Franz Xaver engaged leading artists from the Lake Constance region for the interior decoration, including the stucco artist Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer, as well as Angelika Kauffmann and Andreas Brugger for precious paintings. The elaborate interior design with stuccowork and paintings gives the New Castle its art-historically significant status today. Tours - current information is also available at www.tettnang.de/fuehrungen or https://www.schloss-tettnang.de/besuchsinformation. The visit to the New Castle is possible as part of guided tours: from April to October, Tuesday to Sunday, on the hour between 11 AM and 4 PM, meeting point at the museum ticket office, south wing, 1st floor. Educational rooms and the museum shop are freely accessible during tour times. Themed tours: dates can be found at www.schloss-tettnang.de/besuchsinformation or www.tettnang.de/fuehrungen. Groups can book tours at their desired time through the Tourist Information Tettnang.