Wittstock Castle

The Thirty Years' War was a religious war and at the same time a classic state conflict. In the Battle of Wittstock at Scharfenberg on October 4, 1636, the Swedes defeated the imperial troops and Saxony. The population of Wittstock had to endure great sacrifices as a direct consequence of the war. In 1638, Wittstock was also struck by the plague, which was then called "The Black Death". Over 1500 people died, more than half of Wittstock's population.

Current Use

From 1995 to 1998, the castle complex was restored, reconstructed, and redesigned as part of a European funding project. Today, the Alte Bischofsburg houses the Ostprignitzmuseum and the Museum of the Thirty Years' War. In addition to the history, landscape, and the city of Wittstock/Dosse, the Ostprignitzmuseum also focuses on crafts and the way of life in the region. The Museum of the Thirty Years' War was opened in 1998 and is unique in all of Germany. As an anti-war museum, it depicts not only the causes of the war but also the suffering of the soldiers and, above all, the civilian population. Furthermore, a historical classroom from "Old Times" can be rented by school classes for teaching lessons.

The castle was part of an imposing city wall system. The over 2.5-kilometer-long brick wall still encloses almost all of Wittstock today. It offered citizens protection from the Slavs, whose territory began immediately behind the city wall. Originally, the wall was nine to eleven meters high; today it is only four to seven meters. At that time, the Bishop's Castle was considered one of the most beautiful and strongest castles in the Mark Brandenburg. Only the gate tower from the 13th century, with its eventful history as an official residence, cattle stable, grain storage, and youth hostel, ultimately remained as part of the Ostprignitzmuseum.