History

The Landesmusikakademie Rhineland-Palatinate was founded in 1982 by the Landesmusikrat and initially operated as a decentralised institution. In the summer of 2003, a newly founded non-profit association took over the sponsorship. Almost at the same time, on 28 August 2003, Prime Minister Kurt Beck opened the Landesmusikakademie in Neuwied-Engers as a central training centre in Rhineland-Palatinate. It is located directly on the Rhine and in the immediate vicinity of Engers Castle. The so-called “Master’s House”, as well as the castle owned by the Villa Musica, is the centre of the Academy’s activities. The academy soon reached the limits of its spatial possibilities due to a continuous expansion of the course and continuing education programme. Due to the high demand from larger orchestras and music ensembles, the space program was significantly expanded in 2010. With the new auditorium of the Christiane-Herzog-Schule of the Heinrich-Haus, a large orchestra rehearsal room is now available outside school hours. With a size of 250 square meters and a lift platform, it also offers space for larger projects. With the completion of the new Musikerhof building at the end of 2010, the accommodation capacity was significantly expanded from approx. 50 to 81 beds. For years, the state music academy continued to operate in this way. Since the beginning of 2023, however, the premises of the castle, as well as the guest house “Residenz Schloss Engers” belong to the State Music Academy of Rhineland-Palatinate. As a result, the number of rooms and beds has risen sharply and now stands at a number of 131 beds in 52 rooms, expandable with extra beds to accommodate up to 145 overnight stays. 

The ,Meisterhaus’  (The ,Master's house')

In contrast to the Elector's Palace of Engers, whose architectural history is brought to life thanks to a rich number of testimonies, the relatively young building of the so-called Master's House has so far been lacking in relevant documents and documents. Only a few sources give information about the construction time and the initial purpose of the house, but this is largely in agreement. In 1913, Schellenberg, senior lieutenant in the Hesse-Homburg Infantry Regiment and inspection officer at the War School, edited the “History of the War School to Celebrate Their 50th Anniversary”, Berlin 1913, it reads: “Nearly above the castle is the hospital built in 1902/1903 with its beautiful bright hospital rooms. In addition, the adjutant, the doctor, the porter and the housekeeper live here. “In 1901/1903 the Prussian Domänenverwaltung (formerly Hofmarschallamt), the owner of the property, had the old stable buildings demolished. It was replaced by a narrow, originally three-storey building built in neo-baroque style. The building’s exterior from 1903 is preserved.” 

In 1928, the house was built by the St.-Josefs-Gesellschaft, divided into six flats and used by the craftsmen who worked in the neighbouring workshops for the handicapped. Since then, the building has been known as the “Master’s House”. “When the Josefs-Gesellschaft purchased 21 plots from the Prussian state in addition to the castle from the Prussian state in 1928 (Grundbuch Engers, Volume 39, Sheet 1078 Amtsgericht Neuwied), the Neuwieder Cadastre Office described the entire property (in 1930), focusing on the insured value of the building, the condition of the building and its possible use. It stated that, according to its estimation, the castle with its 40 rooms and 6 cellars was about 170 years old. the Master, comprising 20 rooms, 2 chambers and 5 cellars, is about 30 years old.’...[3] The Master's House performed its original function again temporarily during the Second World War, as can be seen from a report by the master painter Mondorf about the time of the bombardment of Engers in 1945: "18.03. The night from Saturday to Sunday brings new sorrow. German pioneers have been ordered to blow up the bridge that was built for a bridge by our soldiers. At that time, Engers had been indignant about the Red Cross injury, because the bridge was very close to the hospital, and our chief physician had achieved nothing at that time, despite protests from the Wehrkommando. The blast did more damage to the adjacent master house than the bridge itself, because it is still standing."[4]. The master house has been spared serious structural alterations to this day. For this reason, but also because of its architectural peculiarities, the building was declared a monument on 13 September 1995. 

The Castle 

Engers Castle was built in the Baroque period and its client was the Elector of Trier, Johann Philipp von Walderdorff. He used the castle as his hunting and pleasure castle. After the completion of the castle in 1764, the Elector often spent only a few weeks a year in the Rococo-style castle. Nevertheless, it was often used as a contact point for musicians and artists who could also be enthusiastic about hunting.   After surviving the French wars, it became a cadet academy, i.e. an educational institution, which also trained young men militarily and prepared them for possible wars. Later the castle served as a hospital and later as an orthopaedic clinic. Due to the few damages of the past, it still resembles the original condition after minor renovations. Today, in addition to the Landesmusikakademie, it is also home to the Villa Musica and is used not only as a rehearsal room and concert venue, but also as accommodation for guests.