History

The hotel and restaurant Rappenhof evolved from an agricultural estate and has always been easily recognizable, not only because of the name ‘Rappenhof’ but also due to its location in the middle of vineyards and horse paddocks.

Heinrich Wurster Senior, grandfather of the present owner Elisabeth Wurster bought the farm in 1927, and as his main profession was bank director, he always had a keen eye on the economic efficiency of the business.

geschichte1Hotelansicht heute



Juliane von Krüdener

aus "Juliane von Krüdener…. from the book „The kerner house and its guests”by Theobald Kerner, son of Justinus Kerner.

juliane.gifThree years before my father moved to Weinsberg, in 1815, a noble lady had lived on a lonely farm called Rappenhof, half an hour from Weinsberg. The lady’s name was Juliane von Krüdener, maiden name; von Vietinghof, and was originally from Kurland. At the tender age of sixteen she married the Russian Envoy von Krüdener but later divorced him. She was, with her extreme alert intellect, her sweetness and serenity, one of the most welcomed sights in the aristocratic society circles of Paris. As the years went by, she lived life to the full, and through her ever changing lifestyle, including, at one stage, immersing herself in the world of mysticism, she became quite eccentric, and her leaning towards Sectarianism and her association with illegal secret societies, caused her to be the brunt of gossip among the people. She lived for a short time in several different towns around Baden Württemberg, before finally settling down in Rappenhof, Weinsberg. To help her in Rappenhof , she had a care-taker looking after her and supporting her with her plans. He would go to Heilbronn and buy lots of silk ribbons which she would then distribute among her followers as “Ordenszeichen” [a ribbon which was pinned to the jackets, showing membership of her organization]. These actions caused her to fall from grace with the King and she was on the verge of being banished from Baden Württemberg. However, at that time, Emperor Alexander from Russia, who was travelling through the area on his way to Paris, stopped for the night at the Rauchschen House on the Market Square in Heilbronn. He had a sleepless night full of agonizing worry about the terrible situation the world was in, and how he could possibly intervene and help. It is said that he got down on his knees beside his bed and pleaded with God to send him someone who could give him the necessary advice, when suddenly a military officer came in to tell him that a strange lady was in the next room. She refused to leave, saying she must speak to the Emperor at once and gave her name as Frau von Krüdener. “Let her in, let her in at once!” shouted the Emperor. “God has heard my prayers!”. He had a long conversation with Frau von Krüdener. On the following morning he left, followed, two days later by the witty, adventure-loving woman, who strongly influenced the mysticism-inclined Emperor and his ideas about the foundation of the Holy Alliance. When my father spoke on top of the ghost tower or at the Weibertreu to the visitors of Rappenhof, and told them about Frau Krüdener, he often jokingly added: “the Holy Alliance actually originated here in Weinsberg ….. The picture of Frau Krüdener, that she used to have hanging over her writing desk, was bought by my father in an auction and is now in my possession.