Grafeneck Castle and Memorial

Medieval castle complex, hunting lodge, summer residence, forest institute and Samaritan monastery for the disabled, this is the history of this ensemble from the High Middle Ages to the 30s of the 20th century. Then within a year Grafeneck became the birthplace of industrial killing in the Third Reich. After the expropriation, almost 10,000 sick people were murdered from January to December 1940. The victims' cemetery has been commemorating since the 1950s, the Grafeneck memorial has been in existence since 1995 and the documentation center since October 2005. Since 1947, Grafeneck Castle has been an institution of the Samaritan Foundation as a diaconal institution for people with disabilities.In addition to their facilities and the memorial, there is also a café here, the Schlosscafé. It is a meeting place for people with and without disabilities and is located in the glass pavilion on the castle terrace. From here there is a wonderful view of the Lautertal. It is open on Sundays and public holidays from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (May to September) and from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (October to April). The castle café is operated on a voluntary basis. A place that is always worth a stopover.The castle is also gladly integrated into the marathon route of the Alb Gold Trophy or the spring marathon.

From October 1939 to January 1940, the former Samariterstift Grafeneck was purposefully turned into a murder institution.

Nice castle with unfortunately bad part of German history