Mönchshof Castle

The estate with its fish ponds is said to have gotten its name from its former owners, the monks of Reinhardsbrunn Monastery. The Mönchshof later served as a landgrave's court. The monks sold the Mönchshof to the Gotha Privy War Councillor Chancellor Adolph Christian Avemann (1646–1738), who passed it on to his son-in-law, Privy Councillor von Linsing, whose heirs were still owners of the Mönchshof in Galetti's time. The current building is a small castle built in 1729. Duke Ernst II (1772–1804) bought the castle for 40,000 Goldmark in 1797 for his son August (1772–1822) as a wedding gift and summer residence, which is why the property was transformed into a landscape garden. In the 19th century, several illustrious people were guests at the castle, such as the landscape painter Louis Gurlitt. In 1918, the building became state property. From 1919 to 1922, Hermann Duncker, the KPD Reichstag member, lived here. In 1937, the estate came into the possession of the city of Gotha through a donation from the former Duke Carl Eduard. During the GDR era, the building fell into disrepair and was only renovated in the early 2000s; only the outer walls remained. Today, the building serves as an apartment building. The two castle ponds and the Mönchspark are open to visitors and are used as a local recreation area.