Brandenstein Castle

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Brandenstein Castle, front view

The Brandenstein Castle , also known as Castle Brandenstein , stands on a Zechsteinriff in the district Brandenstein the city Ranis in Saale-Orla in Thuringia .

history

The castle was the ancestral seat of the family of knights and later lords of Brandenstein, first mentioned in 1289 . They had held Brandenstein Castle as a feud of the Wettins since 1351 at the latest . But they also owned Schwarzburg , Orlamünd and Lobdeburg fiefdoms, but mostly appeared as Wettin followers and councilors and as such played a relatively important role.

The Brandensteiners were nobles who could live well in the long run with a vassal relationship with the Wettins, especially if they granted them military protection and accepted the payment of the not inconsiderable imperial taxes.

In 1584 the castle came to the Lords of Breitenbauch for 16,000 thalers . During the Thirty Years War , for the first time in 1634, Brandenstein Castle was besieged by Croatian troops. The castle was probably very badly damaged during this time and was mentioned as "the desert house" by Brandenstein. From 1698 to 1705, District Administrator Christoph Adam von Breitenbauch converted it into a palace in the high baroque style. He had the remains of the old castle removed and designed a courtyard on the east side. There is evidence of a round garden pavilion , the foundation walls of which have been preserved. He had the outer bailey rebuilt using stones from the ruins of Burg Stein .

"Leni-Fleischer-Schule" lettering above the castle portal

Until the land reform in 1945, the castle was owned by von Breitenbauch, who had renamed themselves Breitenbuch in 1906 . Until 1955, Brandenstein Castle served as a workers' dormitory and party school for the Maxhütte steelworks and the Hermsdorf ceramic works (Leni Fleischer School). From 1955 to 1988 the castle was a youth hostel with around 18,000 overnight stays a year. After 1988 the castle stood empty and was left to decay.

Brandenstein Castle, view from the southeast

In 2000 the building was bought by the Thuringian family Holger Kahl (father of the art dealer Fabian Kahl , known from " Bares für Rares "). Since then, the house has been gradually renovated and reconstructed. Today's color scheme of the facades appears unconventional. The family uses parts of the first floor as a living area. The so-called sun room is located on the second floor and can be used for various events. Since 2007 a small, vegan castle café with a courtyard and a west terrace has been set up for guests in the basement of the castle . As part of a seminar work , a small exhibition room was created on the upper floor of the building, which covers part of the history of the castle with finds and has been on view since September 2009.

Web links

Commons : Brandenstein Castle  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bernd Wiefel: Building blocks for the history of the manor of the Ranis rule. 2006.
  2. ↑ MH: The castle "zum Stein" on the Kochsberg. In: Heimatklänge. Volume 50, March 29, 1925.
  3. ↑ Thomas Bienert: Medieval castles in Thuringia. Wartberg-Verlag, Gudensberg-Gleichen 2000, ISBN 3-86134-631-1 , p. 219.

Coordinates: 50 ° 40 ′ 9.5 ″  N , 11 ° 33 ′ 22.4 ″  E