Grube Castle

Grube Castle is the last fully preserved manor house of the von Quitzow family. The castle is located in the village of Grube, now part of the town of Bad Wilsnack, in the Prignitz district, about two kilometers south of Federal Highway 5.

The castle was built between 1740 and 1742 on the remains of a previous building. Masonry remnants of this previous building are visible in the cellar area. During excavations in the terrace area, a fieldstone well from the 13th century was found. Finds of special ceramics (manganese-engobed Rhenish stoneware) suggest a supra-regional significance of the noble residence.

Despite later alterations, the castle is a classic Baroque building. Period-typical elements, such as the original, strictly symmetrical floor plan structure (with enfilades), are visible in the northern part of the ground floor. The facade is also symmetrically structured.

The first major renovation phase took place in 1889 under the family of the Gans Edlen Herren zu Putlitz. As part of a Gründerzeit transformation, the roof pitch was changed, the dormers were installed, and the roof was thus made usable. The internal access to the house was changed, with central corridors replacing the enfilade access. A lintel with two cast-iron columns in the entrance hall accounts for the structural changes. The facade was slightly revised. The newly shaped central risalit maintains the symmetry and the Baroque appearance of the castle.

The next major alterations took place in the 1920s, when the castle was owned by the Kamlah family. The eastern cellar areas were lowered, and a cap ceiling was installed instead of vaults. A kitchen, storage, and utility rooms were set up in the larger cellar rooms. The estate office on the ground floor was abandoned, and the salon was enlarged by means of a wall breakthrough.

The estate was expropriated in 1945. In the following years, the historic estate area was settled, and some of the farm buildings were dismantled for material extraction. The village road was routed around the castle to provide access to the new plots located behind the castle.

From 1946, refugee families were housed in the castle. During GDR times, various uses were accommodated in the castle. In addition to the school, these included the mayor's office, the youth club, the Konsum (cooperative store), and the LPG kitchen. During this time, there were some structural changes. In the 1960s, the leaky dormers were removed. In the northern part of the ground floor, the floor was removed, and a tiled floor was laid. The castle gained monument status in 1977.

In May 2008, the current owners began a monument-appropriate restoration. As part of this first structural restoration since its construction in 1740, extensive structural reinforcement was also necessary. For example, all beam ends had to be renewed. The roof was re-covered with tiles specially manufactured using the coal-firing process, and the dormers were reconstructed according to historical models. For their commitment and the quality of their work, the owners were awarded the Brandenburg Heritage Preservation Prize 2010.

Since 2009, the house has been used for cultural events and gastronomy. In spring 2011, a small hotel was opened in the castle.