Tea Tower @museum.de

F: And another little fairy-tale tower! Here’s its story!

M: At the beginning of the 19th century, after the Princes of Langenburg were no longer sovereign rulers, they began to turn their attention to the castles that were their family’s homes. They spent a lot of time designing and planning the gardens. Prince Karl Ludwig was the first to rise to the challenge of once again remodelling the castle following the Baroque period. He brought skilled garden designers to Langenburg, as well as country house architects who worked in the Romantic style, among them the court architect Johann Gottfried Klinsky. Based on his plans, the gardens were to be redesigned as an English landscape garden – which was all the rage at the time.

F: Many of those plans were implemented, though mostly, from the mid-19th century onwards, under Prince Herrmann, with the work carried out by his court gardener Matthäus Lebl.

M: The tea tower was built for the princess and her daughters, by way of a little change of scenery in their everyday lives at the castle. It gave them somewhere to spend their spare time. They painted, did embroidery and sewing, read and – took tea.

F: The high walls next to the tea tower are part of the Lindenstamm Bastion, one of the oldest parts of the castle. With its thick walls, it protected the castle and its residents from intruders. The walls date back to the 12th century, when the castle was fortified.

M: Visitors to the castle have a chance to walk out on to the Lindenstamm viewing platform and enjoy its fine views of the Jagst valley. Despite the reference to lime trees in the name “Lindenstamm”, most people are surprised to see nothing but beech trees rather than lime trees!

F: Vegetation changes over time, that’s just the way it is. Meanwhile, your path continues along the castle wall. Have you spotted the bench, a short distance away? That’s your next stop.