Print pageSend page via email

 In 1898 Baroness Ottilie von Faber married Count Alexander zu Castell-Rudenhausen and so founded a new branch of the family that was granted royal consent to use the surname Faber-Castell. A few years later, the couple built a prestigious residence next to the small Altes Schloss (Old Castle) that had been built by Baron Lothar von Faber in the 1840s.

 

 

The large New Castle was constructed in just three years (1903-06) under the supervision of Theodor von Kramer, head of the Bavarian planning department and director of the trade museum. The castles, the conservatory, the chapel and cloister are grouped round a rectangular courtyard. The bell tower - symbol of the town of Stein - links the two castles. The playfully romantic east front gives onto a terrace with a view of the park and the elegant villa that was built for Lothar's son Wilhelm von Faber in 1884. The oriel windows, towers and masonry are reminiscent of a bold mediaeval castle - appropriate to the name Castell, a family whose roots go back to the 11th century.

 

Main staircase

 

The romanesque hall

The Louis XVI room

 

 The three floors of the castle provide a fascinating contrast between historicism and art nouveau. Several rooms, of great interest to art historians, were designed by Bruno Paul, a well known interior design of the day. Other rooms are like a historical pageant, an interpretation of various past styles. There is a reception room in French classical style, renaissance libraries, a large entrance hall containing typical romanesque elements, a ballroom with gothic, renaissance, baroque and art nouveau details. The ladies' and gentlemen's bathrooms are also unusual, each with sunken marble baths in fine art nouveau style. The top floor houses the large festive hall where numerous balls and receptions were held for guests drawn from the nobility and the world of politics and business.

 

 

 As luck would have it, the castle remained largely unscathed in two world wars, and now offers authentic glimpses of the lifestyle of a bygone age. However, the Faber-Castell family has not lived here since the outbreak of war in 1939. During the war, part of the castle was requisitioned by the German armed forces. From April 1945 it was involved in an important part of post-war history. At first occupied by Allied troops, it was then used to house international lawyers and journalists during the Nuremberg trials of war criminals. It is said that the authors Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck were among those billeted here while reporting for US newspapers.

 

 

The Count's study

Ladies' bathroom

 

 After the trials, the castle served as an American officers' mess and club house until 1953. Then it stood empty for over 30 years: the Faber-Castell family had little interest in making it their home. However, following nearly three years of inventory work, the public was able to view the interior in 1986, as part of the company's 225-year celebrations. An extensive exhibition told the story of the company, the family and the castle. In the same year, the four-part television series "Fathers and Sons" was broadcast, which had been filmed mainly in the castle with major international actors. For some years now the Faber-Castell castle has again been used for a variety of cultural events and meetings with representatives of trade and commerce. The courses of the FABER-CASTELL Artists' Academy take place in the attic storey.