Mansfeld Castle (german: Schloss Mansfeld) is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the region of

Mansfeld Land 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 in ...

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. 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 International Gothic is a period of Gothic art which began in Burgundy, France, and northern Italy in the late 14th and early 15th century. It then spread very widely across Western Europe, hence the name for the period, which was introduced by t ...

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, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Luther ...

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 Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

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 (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

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 was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battl ...

. *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 university and former mining town in Saxony, Germany. It is a so-called ''Große Kreisstadt'' (large county town) and the administrative centre of Mittelsachsen district. Its historic town centre has been placed under heritage ...

. *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 (german: Königreich Preußen, ) constituted the German state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: ...

. *1794 - 1810: The castle is owned by Carl Friedrich Bückling, 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, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

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 organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

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

Halle an der Saale Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (; from the 15th to the 17th century: ''Hall in Sachsen''; until the beginning of the 20th century: ''Halle an der Saale'' ; from 1965 to 1995: ''Halle/Saale'') is the largest city of the German state of Saxony-An ...

, supports Mansfeld Castle.

External links

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

History

See also

External links