Finckenstein Castle

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Ruins of Finckenstein Castle (2010), preserved entrance gate
Finckenstein Castle, photograph before 1931

Finckenstein Castle ( Kamieniec in Polish ) was a Baroque castle built in 1720 in the former Rosenberg district in West Prussia , about seven kilometers northeast of Rosenberg , today in the Polish Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship . The castle has been in ruins since 1945.

history

18th century

Between 1716 and 1720 the castle was built on behalf of Lieutenant General Albrecht Konrad Finck von Finckenstein , presumably based on a design by Jean de Bodt and under the direction of John von Collas . The building corresponded to the wishes of the Prussian King Friedrich I and his successor Friedrich Wilhelm I. The Kingdom of Prussia , which was newly founded in 1701, was to be provided with some splendid baroque castles for cultural representation, so the castles Friedrichstein and Dönhoffstädt (Count Dönhoff), Schlobitten and Schlodien (Count Dohna) and Capustigall (Count Waldburg), of which only Dönhoffstädt still exists today.

The castle and estate remained in the possession of the Finck von Finckenstein family until 1782 , after whom the former town of Habersdorf was named. After that, the burgraves of Dohna-Schlobitten inherited the property, with a large part of the furniture coming to Schlobitten.

Finckenstein Castle, garden side around 1866, Alexander Duncker collection
Today's condition from the garden side

Napoleon's headquarters in 1807

The castle gained greater fame through the stay of Napoleon Bonaparte , who used it as his headquarters during the Fourth Coalition War from April to June 1807. When he first saw the castle, Napoléon said: “Enfin un château” (Finally a castle) . This is where the Finckenstein Treaty between France and Persia was signed. Napoléon spent his time at Finckenstein Castle with the Polish Countess Maria Walewska .

Destruction in 1945

The baroque garden of the palace was reconstructed around 1900. Still owned by the Dohna-Schlobitten, the castle was set on fire by the Red Army during the Second World War on January 22, 1945 . Some of the ruins have been preserved to this day.

Sons and daughters (selection)

Movie

In the 1937 Hollywood feature film Maria Walewska (original title: Conquest ) with Greta Garbo and Charles Boyer , Finckenstein Castle was recreated by sets.

literature

  • Carl von Lorck : Finckenstein Castle. A building of the Prussian baroque in the east . Frankfurt am Main 1966.
  • Ursula Countess zu Dohna: Gardens and parks in East Prussia. 400 years of garden art . Herford 1993.
  • Harald Goldbeck-Löwe, Aleksandra Paradowska: Finckenstein - Kamieniec Suski. A Baroque total work of art for the educator of the Prussian Crown Prince . In: Isabella Woldt, Tadeusz J. Zuchowski (eds.): In the shadow of Berlin and Warsaw. Aristocratic seats in the Duchy of Prussia and Northern Poland 1650–1850 . Berlin 2010, pp. 155-183.
  • Burgrave and Count Hannibal zu Dohna: Napoleon in the spring of 1807 - a picture of the times . Leipzig: Georg Wigand Verlag 1907.

Web links

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

Coordinates: 53 ° 46 ′ 5.5 ″  N , 19 ° 22 ′ 20.4 ″  E