Langenstein Castle
How they contributed to
Langenstein Castle is a Renaissance building of the sixteenth century. Today it
is owned by the Douglases, descendants of the Swedish count Ludvig Douglas. It
is located within the territory of Orsingen-Nenzingen, a municipality in the
Hegau region near lake Constance in southern Germany.
Built by the Abbey
Reichenau in about 1100, the tower of the castle on the long stone ̎ looms over
the spacious castle grounds. Today´s design was realised between 1570 and 1605
by the Earls of Reitenau. The best-known offspring of this family was Prince
Archbishop of Salzburg, Wolf Dietrich, the builder and designer of Salzburg as
it is known today.
In 1826, the Grand Duke Ludwig of Baden bought the
castle and the estates and left them to his son Earl Ludwig of Langenstein.
Due to the marriage of Ludwig of Langenstein’s sister with Earl Karl
Douglas, the property passed to the Douglas family in 1872. This family
originally came from Scotland and resided in Sweden from 1632. Langenstein
Castle is used as the main domicile of the family today.
In 2014, Count
Axel Douglas (b. 1943) sold the castle and all its lands to his cousin, Count
Christoph Douglas (1948-2016). His son and heir, Count Leopold Douglas (b.
1989), member of the Swedish-German branch of Clan Douglas and his family live
in the castle today.
The Golf and Country Club Schloss Langenstein was
founded in 1990
The first part of the grounds was opened in 1991 and
completed in 1992. Under consultation from the Mainau administration and
Hohenheim University, an extraordinarily spacious ground of approx. 110 hectares
arose consisting of an 18-hole championship course and a public 9-hole practice
course.
Over 600 trees, 500 fruit trees, 4,500 ornamental shrubs, 15,500
marsh hedges and flowering plants turned the area around Langenstein Castle into
a parkland which withstands any comparison.
The castle also houses a
Carnival Museum.
A Douglas Archives Open Source Article - 17th April 2025
