As of: February 29, 2024, 6:57 a.m
By: Lisa Metzger
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A 500-year-old building changes hands.
Before he can move in, Thomas Schweighofer still has a lot of work to do.
Lots of surprises await you when decluttering.
Gößweinstein – From rags to riches, from Cinderella to prince wife or from civil engineer to lord of the castle.
The latter has now come true for Thomas Schweighofer.
As the BR reports in the Abendschau, the 42-year-old can now call himself the proud owner of 300 square meters in Franconian Switzerland: a high, round stone tower as a staircase, a black slate roof, half-timbered style and a beige-yellow facade.
This is Kohlstein Castle near Gößweinstein (Forchheim district in Upper Franconia).
There are many surprises inside the castle
What sounds romantic is, for Schweighofer, one thing above all: a lot of work.
The castle is around 500 years old, dilapidated and has been equipped with a lot of bells and whistles by the previous owners.
With the purchase of the castle, the many dusty items have now also become the 42-year-old's property.
Whether it's a cannon, knight's armor, a chandelier or old crockery - Schweighofer has a lot of things to do before he moves in - first of all it's time to clean out and clear out.
Thomas Schweighofer (right) fulfilled a childhood dream and bought a castle in Franconian Switzerland.
© BR Abendschau
Thomas Schweighofer: “A childhood dream comes true”
A mammoth task considering the size of the building.
On his first tour of discovery through his new kingdom, he had already discovered some treasures.
“It ranges from a dead mouse to a valuable watch.
Everything is there,” Schweighofer told BR.
The 42-year-old is enthusiastic about his new project: “This is a childhood dream that is coming true.” He still has a lot planned for the historic house.
As the BR reports, the lord of the castle would one day like to live and work in the listed building himself, perhaps even set up a holiday apartment and rent it out.
To do this, he first has to spruce up the dilapidated ruin: starting with the renovation of floors, windows and ceilings, the building needs a new heating system and internal insulation.
Everything is closely coordinated with monument protection.
An advantage for Schweighofer: his job.
As a trained civil engineer, this is easier for him.
But it won't be easy, a task like this requires a bit of courage, Schweighofer admits in an interview with BR.
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Preserve as much of the original inventory as possible
But the 42-year-old doesn't want to completely overhaul the entire castle.
“Basically I like everything.
It starts with the old floors that we want to renovate, the thick walls are part of a castle, we also have a bit of half-timbering on the upper floors, which I also think is very nice.
The stucco ceilings, the paintings, the weapons on the walls, it’s just a castle through and through,” he tells BR.
It was a stroke of luck that he found this building at all.
Kohlstein Castle near Gößweinstein (Forchheim district) has changed hands.
The dilapidated ruin is now being completely renovated.
© BR Abendschau
It happened on a winter hike, says Schweighofer.
“I asked myself who owned this childhood dream that is here, and because I couldn’t find out anything about it, I ended up writing a letter and putting it in the mailbox,” he remembers.
Some time later, the owner at the time contacted an agent and offered the castle for sale.
The price?
According to BR information, Schweighofer paid about as much for the dilapidated ruin as for a single-family home.
The 42-year-old estimates that the renovation will cost him exactly that much again.
He would like to move in here in a year.
Then he can really call himself lord of the castle.
(By the way: Our Bayern newsletter informs you daily about all the important stories from Bavaria.)
When does a building become a monument?
Because of its age alone, a building does not necessarily qualify as a listed building.
The question of whether and what type of monument the building is also plays a role.
This can be checked in the Bavarian Monument Atlas.
If a building is declared a monument, the owner is obliged to protect, maintain and treat it properly.
If he does not fulfill his obligation to preserve the monument, the monument protection authority can, in extreme cases, even carry out maintenance measures at the owner's expense.
In principle, changes to a monument are not prohibited, but they must be compatible with the requirements of monument protection.
The extent to which this is regulated also depends on the type of monument.
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