Schwedt Castle
The Schwedt Castle in the town of the same name in Schwedt in Brandenburg was the residence of the Hohenzollern branch line Brandenburg-Schwedt . The castle was badly damaged in World War II and the ruins were blown up in 1962.
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The Schwedt Castle
In the 17th century Schwedt was given as a fief and was initiated by Electress Dorothea in 1670. The Electress was the second wife of the Great Elector, Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg , and wished she could leave her eldest son Philipp Wilhelm , who had no prospect of a succession to the throne, a suitable residence. Shortly after the purchase, Cornelis Ryckwaert , a Dutch architect, was commissioned with the expansion and renovation of the old Schwedt Castle , which dates from the Renaissance period. The previous building from 1553 to 1569 was in a ruinous state as a result of the Thirty Years' War . Work on the new building, into which the remaining components were integrated, lasted until 1685. From 1701 to 1704 the north wing was built by Martin Heinrich Böhme . At that time, the castle was a typically baroque , three-wing complex, which was based on Dutch models. The garden facade was framed by two towers and the central building was emphasized by a risalit adorned with gables . A 100 meter wide avenue of chestnut trees led to the city-side facade with the large courtyard . A baroque park was in front of the garden facade .
The Schwedt Castle was inhabited from 1689 until the end of the 18th century, but was vacant for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1794 it fell briefly to Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia , under whose order a number of the living rooms were redesigned by Friedrich Gilly in the classicism style. From 1904 the castle was inhabited by a son of Albrecht von Prussia and remained in the possession of the Hohenzollern family until 1945.
In the course of the fighting of the Second World War, the castle was badly damaged by shell fire in the spring of 1945. The ruins were blown up at the instigation of Walter Ulbricht in 1962 and the last remains removed by 1969. A culture house was built on the site of the castle , which today houses the Schwedt Uckermärkische Bühnen .
The former palace garden was redesigned into the European Huguenot Park between 2009 and 2012 . In addition to the old trees, there are historical traces of seven baroque sandstone sculptures, the originals of which were designed by Friedrich Christian Glume , as well as a historical sundial from 1740.
In the eastern section of the park, the historic garden fence was partially rebuilt through private commitment and inaugurated in 2010.
On April 13, 2018, a 1:33 scale model of the Schwedt City Palace was ceremoniously unveiled. It could be realized through donations from local companies and Schwedt citizens. It is made of die-cast zinc with a paint finish in bronze patina and rests on a sandstone base.
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Coordinates: 53 ° 3 ′ 21 ″ N , 14 ° 17 ′ 31 ″ E