Meßkirch Castle

[1] The shortcomings in the construction work meant that the castle fell into decay soon thereafter.

This gave Froben Christoph also the justification to demolish the old castle completely and replace it with a new schloss.

On 9 May 1557, three years after his accession to power, the new lord of the castle laid the foundation stone for the new building.

[3] It is believed that Froben Christoph could have gained inspiration for the palace during his studies between 1534 and 1540 in France (Bourges, Angers and Tours),[4] but construction of the supposed prototype for Meßkirch Castle, Château d'Ancy-le-Franc, which had been completed by Sebastiano Serlio in 1545,[5] had not even begun at that time.

Meßkirch Castle was the first regular, quadrangular Renaissance-style palace to be built north of the Alps.