Schloss Altengottern

Schloss Altengottern stands in the village of Altengottern, part of the Unstrut-Hainich district in Thüringen. It began as a medieval water castle between 1180 and 1316, owned by the Lords of Gottern. The Swedes destroyed the original fortress in the Thirty Years War, and the Marschall family rebuilt it as a Baroque schloss in 1652. A later renovation in 1824 added classical details, while early in the 20th century a new west wing and a brick water tower appeared. The east wing was rebuilt again in 1995–96 after its upper floors were removed. The schloss is arranged around a rectangular courtyard open to the south-west. Four towers of different heights mark the corners, and medieval cellars survive beneath the east wing. Above the south entrance the date 1673 is carved in stone. Inside, the dining hall still serves as a festival room and the parlour retains its oak panelling from the 1905 alterations. Two historic estates once belonged to the family: Altengottern I and II, which produced two separate branches of the Marschalls. The grounds include the remains of the old moat and the brick water tower at the south-east corner. The schloss now houses a children’s and youth home run by the Arbeiterwohlfahrt. Visitors can walk the courtyard and view the preserved façades and the dated entrance stone. The surviving wings and towers give a clear sense of the building’s layered history from medieval fortress to 17th-century schloss and finally to its present use.