Old Castle Dornburg

The so-called Old Castle, probably built on the foundations of the Ministerial Castle Dornburg, which was severely damaged in the Saxon Fratricidal War in 1451, until 1522, is the northernmost and oldest of the three Dornburg Castles. Existing parts of the previous Ministerial Castle may have been incorporated into its construction. From 1562 to 1573, under Duke Johann Friedrich II of Saxony, the castle underwent further reconstruction and expansion. During the Thirty Years' War, the town and castle were plundered and devastated by imperial Croats. Three times the castle served as a widow's residence for Wettin princely widows. After Duke Ernst August of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach moved out of the castle in 1717, the castle lost its significance and became the seat of the administration of the Dornburg office. From 1750, the castle was used, among other things, as a cotton spinning mill, fustian (textile) factory, and school. In the 19th century, the castle began to decay. Grand Duke Carl Alexander of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach had the first monument preservation work carried out on the castle in 1883. After 1945, the Old Castle was temporarily used as a retirement home, but continued to decay in the following decades. After German reunification, the Old Castle was transferred to the Foundation of Thuringian Castles and Gardens on June 26, 1995. Afterwards, it was extensively restored with funding and has since been accessible to the public through pre-registered guided tours from April to October. Since 2004, the Old Castle has served as a meeting place for the Friedrich Schiller University Jena.