Schloss Spielberg is a hilltop castle in Gnotzheim, in the Altmühl region of Middle Franconia, run by the Steinacker family as a museum gallery of contemporary art and as a venue for concerts, readings and workshops. The official site lists meetings, weddings and celebrations among its services, by arrangement. It publishes no guest capacity, so the numbers are agreed with the family.
Seminars and company events
Under services the site lists conferences (Tagungen) by arrangement, next to guided tours, a visitor room and photo appointments. It names no meeting room, equipment or capacity for them. A company planning a seminar here should describe the group and ask which rooms are available, as the main building also serves as the gallery, a concert venue and the family's home.
The castle has been used for concerts, readings and workshops, with an outdoor stage in the courtyard and the White Hall, named as an event room on the site. A workshop day for a small team in a gallery setting is the type of use the site describes.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings and celebrations are also offered by arrangement. The castle courtyard, the outdoor stage with the newly renovated fresco room, the baroque bell tower and the grounds with sculptures and a viewing platform give a ceremony or a reception several settings. A castle chapel, St. John the Evangelist, is built into the main building. It was first mentioned in 1427, has baroque and rococo furnishings and has served as a parish church since 1828, so ask whether it is available for a ceremony.
Rooms and capacities
The rooms named on the official site are the White Hall (Weisser Saal), used for concerts and readings, the fresco room (Freskenraum), which serves as the visitor room, the gallery rooms of the main building with their stucco ceilings, and the courtyard with its outdoor stage. No capacity is stated for any of them. Gallery rooms hold works of art, so layouts and catering need to be agreed in advance.
Accommodation
The site does not describe overnight accommodation for guests. Visitors planning a stay in the area should book in nearby towns, such as Gunzenhausen, about 8 kilometers to the north.
Catering
The site says nothing about catering. For a wedding or a seminar lunch, ask the family which caterers they allow and whether kitchen access exists in the building.
History and setting
The castle belongs to the Oettingen-Spielberg line and crowns the northwest end of the Hahnenkamm, a ridge about 8 kilometers south of Gunzenhausen. The oval complex is fully preserved, with ring walls five meters high that date back to the 12th century. The main building was rebuilt as a palace between 1730 and 1735. Since 1983 it has been converted into a contemporary art gallery for the work of the sculptor and painter Ernst Steinacker (1919 to 2008), who lived here until 2008. The view reaches across the Swabian-Franconian Alb to the Hesselberg and the Altmühlsee.
Getting there
The address is Spielberg 16, 91728 Gnotzheim. The castle is open all year to visitors, with winter hours from November to February, and the site warns of storm and ice hazards on the grounds in bad weather. The gallery in the main building opens on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and by arrangement, and calls go to the telephone number on the contact page.
