The castle was named after the lords of Winkel; Vollradus is a given name. In 1218, for example, a "Vollradus in Winkela" (so-called "Ritter Vollradus") and in 1268 a "Conradus dictus Vollradus armiger" (Conradus, called the weapon-carrying Vollradus) were mentioned in sources. Nothing is recognizable from the original building structure from this period.
The core of today's castle is a massive residential tower built as a moated castle, which is surrounded by a square pond and can only be reached via a bridge. It dates back to the first third of the 14th century and the von Greiffenclau family, who were heirs to the Lords of Winkel. The octagonal stair tower flanking the keep was added in 1471; the bay window is an ingredient from 1620. The Greiffenclau family coat of arms is emblazoned above the entrance to the residential tower.
In 1684 the current two-winged manor house (then two-storey) was built by Georg Phillip Greiffenclau von Vollrads next to the tower. His son Johann Erwein added the farm buildings around 1700, erected boundary walls around the palace garden and provided the water tower with a baroque dome roof.
In 1975, Erwein Graf Matuschka-Greiffenclau took over the heavily indebted property. However, he did not manage to rehabilitate the property financially. Matuschka-Greiffenclau took his own life in 1997 when the house bank applied for bankruptcy proceedings to be opened on the property. Since then, the property has belonged to the Nassauische Sparkasse, which manages the castle with its vineyards and a restaurant.
The winery is a member of the Association of German Prädikat and Quality Wineries. Large parts of the castle are not open to the public; Access is possible during events. Live music events are offered in summer and a bar in the inner courtyard during the wine season in autumn. Civil weddings are possible in consultation with the Oestrich-Winkel registry office.
In 2011, the leather wallpaper in the master's room in the manor house from the beginning of the 18th century was restored with funds from the State of Hesse, the Friends of Schloss Vollrads and the German Foundation for Monument Protection.
Source: Wikipedia