Altenstein Castle in Germany
Rating: 8,1/10 (5032 votes)  Altenstein Castle is located in Bad Liebenstein and is part of it. The building occupies the southwestern slope of the Sachse-Meiningen mountain, in the Thuringian Forest. Altenstein is used as a summer residence by Prince Meiningen, and the castle itself is complemented by a park with a long underground passage. Altenstein Castle (literally translated as Old Stone) is indeed very ancient. Its foundation took place in the early Middle Ages. Then the current secular country palace was rather a fortress, designed to defend. The building that we see today is not entirely medieval, since the castle was subjected to repeated destruction and restoration, nothing has survived in its original form. that in those places on which Altenstein was built, a stone fortress was located as early as 774. These territories are also famous for the fact that in the 8th century the well-known Saint Boniface, one of the main missionaries of Catholicism in Central and Western Europe, lived and worked here. In 1116, the castle received a knight Dudo von Stein. After a while he got to the Frankensteins, then to the Salts, and in 1346 the castle was acquired by the Landgrave of Thuringia. His successors owned Altenstein for about a century and a half. True, by the end of the 15th century, the owners of the castle changed again, now they are the electors of Saxony, for example Frederick III the Wise, who patronized Martin Luther himself and in every possible way saved him from persecution churches. There is even a monument to Luther in the castle park. The castle was destroyed during the Peasant War of 1524-1526. Great services in its restoration and, in general, in the development of the castle belong to the Wenckheim family, under whose leadership Altenstein lasted until 1722, when the family was interrupted. The castle passed to the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen. During their reign, the castle building acquired some graceful baroque features. George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, decided to make the castle a truly secular summer residence. The new castle landscape with fountains, rotundas and gardens was created by excellent architects. Unfortunately, the First World War destroyed most of these buildings. The last time the castle was reconstructed a long time ago, at the beginning of the 20th century, this time in a Renaissance spirit, and another restoration is planned for 2015. We also recommend reading Virgin Mary de la Victoria (Nuestra Senora de la Victoria) in Spain, resort of Malaga Topic: Altenstein Castle in Germany. |
