Wittstock Episcopal Castle
| Wittstock Episcopal Castle | ||
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 Mayor's house and official tower of the old bishop's castle |
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| Creation time : | 1244 | |
| Castle type : | Location | |
| Conservation status: | Remnants in newer parts | |
| Standing position : | Episcopal Castle | |
| Place: | Wittstock / Dosse | |
| Geographical location | 53 ° 9 '33.1 " N , 12 ° 29' 9.2" E | |
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The Bischofsburg (also " Old Bischofsburg" - but there is no new one) in Wittstock on the Dosse in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district in Brandenburg was built as a base, then the seat of the bishops of Havelberg .
history
The history of the castle is closely linked to the history of Wittstock / Dosse. Wittstock / Dosse emerged from a Slavic settlement before 946 . Construction of the castle began in 1244. In 1248 Wittstock received its town charter . The over a thousand year old town in Ostprignitz was particularly shaped by the bishops of Havelberg, who lived there from 1271 to 1548 and expanded the castle into their residence.
The castle was impregnable until the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648). At the end of the Middle Ages, and especially during the Thirty Years' War, the castle began to decline.
The Thirty-Year War
The Thirty Years War was a religious war and at the same time a classic conflict of states. In the battle of Wittstock am Scharfenberg on October 4, 1636, the Swedes were victorious over the imperial troops and Saxons . The Wittstock population suffered great sacrifices as a direct result of the war. In 1638 Wittstock was hit by the plague , which at that time was called "The Black Plague". Over 1500 people were killed, more than half of Wittstock's population.
Todays use
From 1995 to 1998 the castle complex was restored, reconstructed and redesigned as part of a European funding project. Today the Alte Bischofsburg houses the Ostprignitz Museum and the Museum of the Thirty Years War . In addition to the history, landscape and the town of Wittstock / Dosse , the Ostprignitz Museum is also dedicated to the craft and way of life in the region. The Museum of the Thirty Years War opened in 1998 and is unique in all of Germany. As an anti-war museum, it shows the causes of the war as well as the suffering of the soldiers and, above all, of the civilian population. In addition, a historical classroom from "old times" can be rented for school classes to organize lessons.
investment
The castle was part of an imposing city wall. The brick wall, which is over 2.5 kilometers long, still encloses almost all of Wittstock today. It offered the citizens protection from the Slavs , whose territory began immediately behind the city wall. Originally the wall was nine to eleven meters high, today it is only four to seven meters. At that time, the Bishop's Castle was considered one of the most beautiful and strongest castles in the Mark Brandenburg . Only the gate tower from the 13th century, with its eventful history as an official residence, cattle barn, granary and youth hostel was ultimately preserved as part of the Ostprignitz Museum.
Web links
- Reconstruction drawing by Wolfgang Braun
- Wittstock Bischofsburg: Museum for the Thirty Years War
- http://www.brandenburg-info.com/ostprignitz/wittstock.htm
