Mansfeld Castle () is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the region of

Mansfeld Land Mansfeld Land () is a region in the southwestern corner of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The region derives its name from the counts of Mansfeld, who ruled this region for about 1,000 years. Geography In the west and northwest, Mansfeld La ...

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The castle, which is surrounded by forest, stands on top of a large rock overlooking the town of

Mansfeld Mansfeld (), sometimes also unofficially Mansfeld-Lutherstadt, is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Protestant reformator Martin Luther grew up in Mansfeld, and in 1993 the town became one of sixteen places ...

. The Late Gothic church of the castle, as well as the ruins, moats and the remains of the battlements from the time of the old fortress make Mansfeld castle a popular attraction.

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

often visited the castle, as his parents lived in Mansfeld. His father worked in the local copper mine, while Luther himself attended the school of Mansfeld. Mansfeld Castle is now used as a ''Jugendburg'', or

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

youth education and conference centre.

History

*1229: first documented mention of Mansfeld Castle. *1509: fire destroyed the castle. *1509 - ca. 1549: building of three Renaissance style castles (Vorderort, Mittelort, Hinterort) and a fortress (one of the largest in

), furnishing of the castle's church. *1540: introduction of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

to the County of Mansfeld by

and Count Albert of Mansfeld-Hinterort. *1570: the count's property is under administration because of his massive debt, the castles Mittelort and Hinterort fall into decay. *1618 - 1648: repeated siege of the castle during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. *1672: Saxon government decides to destroy the fortress. *1674/75: The fortress is razed to the ground by 400 countrymen and 30 miners from

Freiberg, Saxony Freiberg () is a college town, university and former mining town in Saxony, Germany, with around 41,000 inhabitants. The city lies in the foreland of the Ore Mountains, in the Saxon urbanization axis, which runs along the northern edge of the ...

. *1710: Count John George III of Mansfeld, the count that lived in Mansfeld Castle, dies. *1780: After the death of Johann Wenzel Nepomuk, the last heir of the line of counts of Mansfeld, the castle is owned by the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

. *1794 - 1810: The castle is owned by

Carl Friedrich Bückling Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...

, developer of the first German steam-powered machine. *1859 - 1945: Mansfeld Castle is owned by the barons von der Recke. *1860 - 1862:

Neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

remodelling and renovation of Mansfeld Castle. *1883 - 1908: fitting of Neogothic windows and pews to the castle church, which can still be seen today. *1946: After the act of reforming landed property, the state of Saxony-Anhalt takes ownership of the castle. *1947: The castle is handed over to the Protestant church of Saxony for free of charge use by the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

. *1997: The society ''Förderverein Schloss Mansfeld e. V.'', founded on 24 May in

Halle an der Saale Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (), is the second largest city of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is the sixth-most populous city in the area of former East Germany after (East) Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Magdeburg as well as t ...

, supports Mansfeld Castle.

External links

The Castle's Homepage
{{Authority control Castles in Saxony-Anhalt Jugendburg

History

See also

External links