Halbes Castle

Halbes Schloss (Half Castle) is the name of a former knight's estate in Langenleuba-Niederhain in the Altenburger Land district (Thuringia).

In 1290, the estate belonged to the Burgraves of Altenburg. In 1329, the Margraves of Meissen acquired the feudal sovereignty and granted the fief, among others, to the Burgraves of Leisnig, the Lords of Creutzen, von Zschadras, and von Schauroth. The building was then a medieval moated castle. In the 17th century, the estate was managed by a family von Brand, from whom it passed to the family von Kuntsch. Johann von Kuntsch rebuilt the castle in 1707 and 1711 as a four-wing complex with 121 exterior windows into a Baroque castle with decorations in the Regence style. Elements of the Late Renaissance were preserved. In 1712, he bequeathed the transformation of the knight's estate into a family fideicommissum and the establishment of a family foundation. This consisted of a series of legacies for students, for craft and trade apprentices, and for providing dowries for brides. The financial means for the legacies came from the revenues of the Langenleuba-Niederhain knight's estate and from interest on capital assets.

In 1714, Dr. Christoph von Kuntsch inherited the property. As late as 1805, the castle was surrounded by water, and the farmyard in front of it could only be reached via a bridge. In 1838, the family had the south wing demolished for unknown reasons. Since then, it has also been called "Halbes Schloss" (Half Castle).

In 1926, the family fideicommissum was dissolved and transferred to the family foundation. This was administered by a foundation board. In 1946, the descendants of the von Kuntsch family were dispossessed as part of the land reform, and the foundation was dissolved. Eleven new farmsteads were created on the estate's land. School lessons, among other things, took place in the castle itself until 1965.

Since approximately 1980, the vacant castle building has been decaying, while the farm buildings, including the former knight's estate inn, have been preserved. On November 20, 2014, the building was listed by the Thuringian State Office for Monument Preservation as one of 16 endangered castles in Thuringia. On November 28, 2015, the castle was auctioned off at a minimum bid of 5,000 € and found a new owner for 22,000 €.