Cultural Events
To be privately owned
CastleBördeland-Großmühlingen
Großmühlingen Castle
The Renaissance castle Großmühlingen is a castle in the village of Großmühlingen in Saxony-Anhalt.
A lowland castle presumably existed at this site since the 12th century. It is possible that even older predecessor buildings existed. The first documented mention dates from 1318. However, it was destroyed by Archbishop Burchard III of Magdeburg during a feud with the Ascanians. It is presumed that Eike von Repgow stayed in the castle several times between 1219 and 1233 and wrote parts of the Sachsenspiegel here. The reconstruction was commissioned by Albrecht Count of Arnstein with the help of Magdeburg citizens.
The current appearance as a Renaissance castle dates back to constructions initiated by Count Wolfgang I around 1530. From 1531, the castle served as the residence of the Counts of Barby. In 1585, the west wing was severely damaged, presumably by fire. The new furnishings were then provided by Wolfgang II. In 1602, the Knights' Hall, located on the ground floor and featuring a net-rib vault, was adorned with stucco reliefs. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was heavily devastated by troops of Gottfried Heinrich zu Pappenheim. This marked the end of its time as the residence of the Counts of Barby.
In 1669, Prince Anton Günther of Anhalt-Zerbst had the buildings rebuilt as his residence. The north wing of the castle, the so-called Stiegenhaus (staircase house), was inhabited from the 16th to the 18th century by the castle captain, who commanded 20 to 30 castle soldiers. From 1705 to 1714, the pavilion-like central building was erected, which involved a redesign of the overall appearance with Baroque influences.
In 1797, the castle was converted into an administrative seat. The initially still existing, water-filled moats were drained in 1875. In 1945, the owners were forcibly expropriated and expelled by the communists. A reconstruction of the buildings took place between 1981 and 1993.
Current Use+
Since 1994, the castle has been privately owned and is used as a house for liberal professions. Regular concerts and exhibitions take place.
Architecture+
The castle is a small three-winged complex. A very narrow courtyard is enclosed to the south by a wall with a gate passage. Through the gate, one crosses the former castle moat. West, north, and east of the courtyard, the building wings extend asymmetrically. The east and west wings are parallel to each other. On the north side of the courtyard, there was originally a wooden gallery.
The lower floors of the west and east wings feature cross-rib vaults from before the mid-16th century. The upper floors are dated to the early 17th century. There is a wooden gallery with a baluster railing. The south gables of the side aisles were designed as magnificent volute gables; that of the eastern wing is preserved.
Remarkable is the round-arch portal from the courtyard to the west wing, adorned with early Renaissance ornamentation. There are also portrait medallions from 1540 of Count Wolfgang von Barby and his wife Agnes von Mansfeld, as well as their coats of arms dated 1531. The Knights' Hall in the west wing has been richly decorated with stucco work on both walls and ceiling since 1602. Here, hunting scenes are depicted between angel heads and garlands.
In the vicinity of the castle, there are still some old farm buildings.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: Roland Neubert, Halle (Saale)
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 51.9581, 11.7037