Hello,
Attached is a press release from the city of St. Ingbert with a request for publication.
Interesting reading at the city library about "Lost Castles"
The numerous guests who flocked to the city library of St. Ingbert at the invitation of the literature forum were able to experience a scenic book presentation of stage-worthy quality. There, Dr. Jutta Schwan, editor of the title "Hidden Castles and Lost Noble Residences in the Saarpfalz District," published by Conte Verlag, presented the richly illustrated volume—with photographs, drawings, and historical maps—on behalf of her research team.
She had not come to the medium-sized town alone, but, as was proper at the time, appeared in the company of her chambermaid Henrietta. The tour guide and Baroque expert Monika Link once again shone in her signature role as a historical costume figure. She began gently with polishing silver and quickly revealed herself as a competent contemporary witness, well-versed in many secrets of her era. Sharing insider stories, she contributed apt anecdotes and thus entertainingly enriched the scholarly discourse.
In addition to preserved testimonies from that equally brief as glorious era, such as the old town of Blieskastel or the noble residences at Würzbacher Weiher, the title also presents individual ruins and conveys an impression of the former splendor and grandeur through pictorial reconstructions. Particularly impressive were the vivid descriptions of destruction and looting, but also of the rescue of art treasures by Johann Christian von Mannlich, who in 1793 saved many paintings from Karlsberg Castle from destruction by French revolutionary troops. Naturally, not without Henrietta's support.
At the end of the event, Jutta Schwan thanked the audience for their enthusiastic interest and all the sponsors who had made the publication of the work possible. ILF spokesperson Jürgen Bost, who had introduced the reading, announced another author event at the St. Ingbert City Library for Thursday, May 21, 2026. Then Barbara Leciejewski will present her novel "It Is Beautiful by the Sea," a moving book about the suffering caused by child deportations.
Photo: Jürgen Bost
Caption: Dr. Jutta Schwan (right) came to the book presentation at the city library accompanied by her chambermaid Henrietta.
