On August 9th, 2014 LIVIA acquired Schloss Frankenberg inclusive the appurtenant agricultural and forestry land. Frankenberg is located on a spur at the southern foothill of the Steigerwald in the western Middle Franconia between Wuerzburg, Rothenburg and Nuremberg.
Originally, two castles were located on the plateau of the mountain: Burg Hinterfrankenberg and Burg Vorderfrankenberg. The remains of Burg Hinterfrankenberg belong to the older one of the two castles. The Prince-bishops of Wuerzburg originally owned Hinterfrankenberg. Due to the territorial infighting, the Burgraves of Nuremberg built a new castle in the immediate vicinity of a new castle in 1254, which was also called Frankenberg. Changes in ownership on both castles led to complex power relations. Only after the secularization, both castles were united in possession.
In the fight against the catholic Bishoprics of Wuerzburg and Bamberg in 1554, Margrave Albrecht Alcibiades destroyed Burg Hinterfrankenberg, together with the castle Hohenlandenberg on the adjacent mountain Hohenlandenberg. Since that time the castle Hinterfrankenberg is a ruin.
In 1520, Ludwig von Hutten bought Schloss Frankenberg and established the Frankenberger line of the noble family. This family inhabited Schloss Frankenberg until 1783 when the line became extinct. Afterwards the Margrave of Ansbach Christian Friedrich Karl Alexander gave the fief to Ludwig Karl Wilhelm von Pollnitz. The noble family von Pollnitz inhabited Schloss Frankenberg until 1971 before it was bequeathed to the Barons von Lerchenfeld.
By aquiering Schloss Frankenberg LIVIA meets the requirements of the preservation of European culture and heritage. LIVIA plans to restore the different parts of the building in accordance the strict regulations of preservation of sites of historic interest and convert them for new usage.
