Friedrichsruh Palace (Drage)
The castle Friedrichsruh in Drage in Steinburg was the largest baroque palace in the western Schleswig-Holstein . Originating from the aristocratic Gut Drage, it was expanded into a residence by Margrave Friedrich Ernst from the Brandenburg-Kulmbach house in the 18th century and demolished again in 1787.
History of the castle grounds
The site is located on the Bekau opposite the confluence of the Rolloher Bek .
The Drage estate
The former Drage estate has been in operation since the Middle Ages . From the Krummendiek family , who were first associated with the place in 1306, it went one after the other to the Sehestedt, Ahlefeldt and finally to the Rantzau family . The Rantzaus were among the richest and most influential families in Schleswig-Holstein and in the 16th and 17th centuries they owned up to 70 estates in the state. At that time, Drage was a typical fortified manor house with an estate and a manor house.
During the Thirty Years War it served as a retreat for the Breitenburg line of the family, whose castle was stormed and looted in 1627. In 1636 Christian zu Rantzau from Breitenburg received the estate, which his wife Dorothea from the Panker line of the family brought into the marriage as a dowry. Their son Detlev made Drage his main residence next to Rantzau Castle in Barmstedt , as the Breitenburg castle was no longer sufficient for a larger court due to the war.
In 1721 Count Detlev's son Christian Detlev zu Rantzau was murdered near the Barmstedt Palace. His younger brother Wilhelm Adolf was held responsible for the act and, as a result of the events, the count's property was confiscated by the Danish King Friedrich IV and Drage was occupied by Holstein soldiers.
The Friedrichsruh Palace
The Danish King Christian VI. was married to Sophie Magdalene von Brandenburg-Kulmbach , whose brother Friedrich Ernst he gave the Drage estate as a wedding present. Friedrich Ernst was appointed by the king as governor in Schleswig-Holstein at Gottorf Castle and expanded the estate into a representative castle, to which he gave his name.
According to contemporary reports, Friedrichsruh developed from 1744 to 1751 into the largest castle in western Schleswig-Holstein. The architect in charge was the Danish court architect Nicolai Eigtved . The castle occupied a floor area of approx. 70 by 80 meters, consisted of three four-story wings with a tower and contained 99 rooms. In front of the castle was a baroque garden . Drage and Friedrichsruh Castle experienced a brief heyday, during which the castle was considered one of the most glamorous courtyards in the country. The Danish king even traveled to the inauguration. The neighboring town of Weddeldorp was renamed Christinenthal in 1745 in honor of the margrave's wife, Christine Sophie . A small summer residence called Solitude was also built there.
Margrave Friedrich Ernst and his wife did not leave any heirs behind, but they did leave a property that was heavily in debt, as the new construction of the palace and almost all of the furnishings were financed with loans.
The end of the castle
In order to cover the enormous debts, the entire property of Friedrichsruh was sold after the death of the margrave and his wife. The lands were parceled out and sold, as were the movable furnishings of the castle. The castle fell into disrepair and had to be demolished in 1787, ending the short period of court life in Drage.
There are no more traces of the castle itself in Drage, but aerial photos still allow a localization of the area that is surrounded by the rudiments of the former gardens and the courtyard path. The former driveway to Friedrichsruh is still referred to as Schlossweg, the location of the castle itself is now a swimming pool. Some of the furnishings, paintings and sculptures were sold to Wilster as early as the 18th century , where the chancellery Johann Hinrich Doos equipped his palace, which is now the new town hall , with it. The patronage chair , a princely box, in the church of Hohenaspe also reminds of the margravial couple . Friedrich Ernst, who died in 1762, and his wife are also buried there in the crypt.
literature
- Peter Hirschfeld: Mansions and castles in Schleswig-Holstein . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich, 1980, ISBN 978-3-422-00712-3
- Otto Holm: The noble estates Krummendiek, Mehlbek and Drage and their masters . In: Heimatbuch -ommission (Hrsg.): Heimatbuch des Kreis Steinburg. Vol. 2, Augustin, Glückstadt 1925, pp. 47–58.
- Rudolf Irmisch : Drage Castle and its owner, Margrave Friedrich Ernst von Brandenburg-Kulmbach. In: Heimatverband Kreis Steinburg (ed.): Steinburger Jahrbuch 1973 , Itzehoe 1972, pp. 6-17.
- Hedde Jürgens: The Drage estate and the associated villages after the laying down of the farmland and the distribution of the village communities 1787–1820. A contribution to regional studies , Kiel 1897.
- Deert Lafrenz: Manors and mansions in Schleswig-Holstein , Petersberg, 2nd edition 2015, pp. 139–142.
- Bernd Langmaack: From the history of the Drage estate - Friedrichsruh. In: Heimatverband Kreis Steinburg (ed.): Steinburger Jahrbuch 1983 , Itzehoe 1982, pp. 211-219.
- Bernd Langmaack: Profitability calculation for the aristocratic Drage estate in Mittelholstein in the 18th century before the great land reform. In: Heimatverband Kreis Steinburg (ed.): Steinburger Jahrbuch 1988 , Itzehoe 1987, pp. 277–285.
- Otto Neumann: A fairytale castle in Holstein - Friedrichsruh and the mayor's house in Wilster. New research results. In: Heimatverband Kreis Steinburg (ed.): Steinburger Jahrbuch 1957. Itzehoe 1956, pp. 91–95.
- Otto Neumann: About the property of a manager of the Drage estate 1733. In: Heimatverband Kreis Steinburg (Hrsg.): Steinburger Jahrbuch 1960. Itzehoe 1959, pp. 67-69.
- Henning von Rumohr: Castles and mansions in western Schleswig-Holstein . Weidlich Verlag, Würzburg, 1988.
Web links
Coordinates: 54 ° 0 ′ 7 ″ N , 9 ° 31 ′ 10 ″ E