Mansfeld Castle
Encyclopedia
Mansfeld Castle is a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the Mansfelder Land
Mansfelder Land
Mansfelder Land was a district in the middle of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Neighboring districts were Aschersleben-Staßfurt, Bernburg, Saalkreis, Merseburg-Querfurt, Sangerhausen and Quedlinburg...
of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The castle, which is surrounded by forest, stands on top of a large boulder overlooking the town of Mansfeld
Mansfeld
Mansfeld is a town in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Wipper, 10 km northwest of Eisleben....
. The Late Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
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
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
often visited that 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 a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
youth education meeting place held at a castle.
History
- 1229: First documented mention of Castle Mansfeld.
- 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 GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), furnishing of the castle's church. - 1540: Introduction of the Protestant ReformationProtestant ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
to the County of Mansfeld by Martin LutherMartin LutherMartin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
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 fortress during the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. - 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, SaxonyFreiberg, SaxonyFreiberg is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, administrative center of the Mittelsachsen district.-History:The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries...
. - 1710: Count John George III of Mansfeld, the count that lived in Castle Mansfeld, 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 PrussiaKingdom of PrussiaThe Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. - 1794 - 1810: The castle is owned by Carl Friedrich Bückling, developer of the first German steam-powered machine.
- 1859 - 1945: Mansfeld Castle in owned by the Barons von der Recke.
- 1860 - 1862: Neogothic extension and furbishing of Castle Mansfeld.
- 1883 - 1908: Installation of the Neogothic windows and pews to the castle's church, which can still be seen today.
- 1946: After the act of reforming landed property, the castle is occupied by the land of Saxony-Anhalt.
- 1947: The castle is handed over to the Protestant church of Saxony for free of charge usage by the YMCAYMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
. - 1997: The society Förderverein Schloss Mansfeld e. V., founded on May 24 in Halle an der SaaleHalle, Saxony-AnhaltHalle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, claims Mansfeld castle.