Neo-Gothic Castle B.

After we had explored the Baroque Castle I. less than we had hoped for due to the renovation measures going on, we got back in the car to check out another castle that was on our list.
On the way, we spotted yet another lordly mansion about ten kilometers before we reached our destination. But unfortunately, this one is partly being used and the owners didn't want us running around inside to take photos - which is actually pretty understandable.
The lady we asked was really nice though, but we had to drive on anyway.
After a few minutes we could see the abandoned neo-gothic castle from pretty far away, and it looked even more impressive than I'd imagined. The distinct little towers on the corners and on the median risalit give this castle a pretty unique look for the region.
The area isn't even fenced off in any way, and I think the castles park is a public park now.
We entered the building through an obvious opening in the basement wall, and the basement was also probably the most intact part of the building. The other rooms are mostly without a floor, walls and ceilings have collapsed and even if a lot of money is invested in the future, I don't think this castle can ever be saved - with the possible exception of the outside walls.


To find out more about the history of this castle and to check out all photos from this beautiful place, click the button below!

Neo-Gothic Castle L. (Part 2)

Here's the second load of pictures I took in the abandoned mansion somewhere in eastern Germany.
I didn't take too many photos as the overall condition of the building was ramshackle at best and it was a bit dangerous to be walking around in there...

You can check out the full gallery here.

Part 1 | Part 2

Neo-Gothic Castle L.

This was the first object on a tour last sunday that I had the pleasure to be on with 4 guys that are active in the same urban exploration board I am in.
It was a very spontaneous tour, and I am really glad that it all worked out on short notice.

The history of the estate this mansion is built on dates back as far as the middle of the 13th century when the area belonged to one of the oldest and most well-known German aristrocratic families.
The mansion itself was built in the middle of the 19th century.
The owners were expropriated in 1945, and the mansion was used as a kindergarten until 1969. After that it was used as a dormatory for apprentices,  and from the early 1970s the canteen kitchen of the local agricultural cooperative as well as a cultural center, an assembly room and a homework room for students.
After the German reunification, the building fell to the "Treuhand" (state escrow). When the building was abandoned it took merely three months until the vandals had wreaked total havoc in the once beautiful aristocratic halls.
The escrow looked for potential investors for almost a decade, but when none could be found, the mansion was auctioned off.
Buth the plans of the new owner from Berlin never panned out, so the building is left to decay.

Here are the first few impressions.

Part 1 | Part 2

A Dark Castle - The Abandoned Neo-Gothic Mansion (Part 3)

And now for the final pictures from the abandoned neo-gothic castle in Eastern Germany.
As you can see, we were quite lucky as the weather showed us its beautiful side.
The East German "heartland" has a lot of these little gems, so this certainly wasn't the last mansion that we've visited.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

A Dark Castle - The Abandoned Neo-Gothic Mansion (Part 2)

As promised, here is a little more information about the history of the neo-gothic castle we visited last weekend.
The house is about 150 years old and was built after its predecessor in a different place had been demolished.
The estate itself dates back to at least 1328, possibly even further. Over the centuries, at least 14 different more or less aristocratic families owned the estate and the castle.
The castle is situated between a little river and the castle pond. Near the main building you can find the rotten remains of the estate's horse stables with collapsed walls and roof and a very large amount of plant life growing in it.
After the World War II, the estate was expropriated and the castle was used as a senior citizen's home until 1997. Since 1998, the estate and the castle belong to a community of heirs that don't demonstrate a lot of interest and so the castle and the surrounding buildings are left to rot.

Here is the next load of pictures.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

A Dark Castle - The Abandoned Neo-Gothic Mansion

We drove to three objects on our tour today, and this one was the first we got to.
At first it was a huge disappointment because there was no way into this magnificent building...until the second part of our group arrived and after a lot of searching, found the way in...
Turns out that the condition looked better from the outside, but there were still a lot of great images to catch with the camera.
As always, for starters, here are the HDR-shots.
I will tell a little more about the history of the object in the following posts.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3