The garden façade of Castell castle (1691). On the hill on the left can still be seen the staircase tower of the upper castle (1613–15), seat of the lords and counts zu Castell.
T
he counts and lords of Castell did well in life. At the court of the bishops of Würzburg they occupied the sought-after office of chief cellarer, one of the four highest court officials (in charge of the vineyards and winery). But times were not always easy. Various estates were lost, and the line threatened to die out with Friedrich VI in the 15th century. And so he gave up his position as prebendary and renounced his holy orders so that he was free to marry a damsel from the court of Ansbach near Nuremberg. Their descendants pursued a policy of strict management and marriage befitting their social status, so ensuring the continuation of the family and its possessions.
The aristocratic name of Castell has now been associated with Franconia (North Bavaria) for nearly a thousand years. Since the 18th century there are two lines: Castell-Castell, going back to Count Albrecht Friedrich Carl and living in the castle at Castell that was built in 1691; and Castell-Rüdenhausen, descended from Count Christian Friedrich and based at the 16th-century moated castle of Rüdenhausen. Count Alexander, the grandfather of Count Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell, was from that second line. He founded the new family of FaberCastell through his marriage to Ottilie von Faber in 1898.
Prince and Princess Wolfgang (back row, 4th and 5th from the left) with their family on the steps of the new castle at Rüdenhausen. To the right of them are Countess Ottilie and Count Alexander von Faber-Castell.
250 Years of Faber-Castell
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