The decision was made by Adolf Hitler.

Among the candidates for the location of another Reichsgästehaus (Schloss Bellevue in Berlin had been converted into one in 1938/39), his choice fell on Schloss Schwarzburg in Thuringia at the end of the 1930s.

The complex, first mentioned in a document in 1071, ancestral seat of the family of counts of the same name, later the princely family, lies spectacularly on a narrow, steep mountain spur around which the Schwarza flows in a narrow loop.

In the “Picturesque location” category, the medieval castle, which has been transformed by baroque conversions, has no reason to fear comparison - a little off the beaten track, but located in an area that has enjoyed a first-class reputation as a summer resort since the 19th century.

Matthias Alexander

Deputy head of department in the features section.

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The vote from Berlin was a fatal decision for the building ensemble. The contract for the reconstruction planning was given to an architect who had close ties with both Hitler and the Thuringian Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel: Hermann Giesler. He had designed Sauckel's service villa in Weimar, and Hitler commissioned him to design his tomb; he was one of the twelve "irreplaceable artists" among the so-called God-gifted. Giesler suggested that the main building of Schwarzburg Castle should be largely gutted and that some outbuildings should be demolished regardless of their historical significance, including the gatehouse and the castle church with the exception of its tower.

The disaster took its course in 1940: at a time when other construction projects without direct military use had long since been discontinued, the particularly ambitious Sauckel pushed ahead with the supposedly important project, Anna Luise, widow of the last Prince Günther Victor, had to leave the castle within a few days , although she actually enjoyed a lifelong right of residence there. It was not until April 1942 that the work, which had to be carried out largely by Belgian forced laborers, was finally ended on the orders of Albert Speer. The National Socialists only had the most necessary security work done, then the shell of the castle was left to their fate. The GDR lacked the means to prepare the building, even if there were always ambitious plans. Anyway:The baroque building of the Kaisersaal was restored in the early 1970s. But the main building was still exposed to the weather without any protection, and the hood of the church tower burned down on New Year's Eve.

An active development association

After the fall of the Wall, there were various ideas for using the elongated palace complex, which could easily be imagined as a luxury hotel or health clinic, but these came to nothing.

In view of the historical and spatial significance of the ensemble, the demolition, which is actually unimaginable but can hardly be avoided due to the precarious statics, could be averted.

This is also thanks to the active support association with around 200 members, which has been committed to preserving the castle since the mid-1990s.

In 2009, money was available to start at least the first security measures, such as a new roof.

Since then, the Thuringian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, as the owner of the complex, has pursued a strategy of taking small steps; the armory has also been renovated and now serves as an exhibition hall for the Princely House's weapons collection.