Old Castle Hummelshain

The Old Hunting Lodge Hummelshain is located not far from the church in the middle of the village. It dates back to a hunting lodge of the Wettin electors, whose hunting stays in Hummelshain are documented from 1494. From 1541-1544, extensive construction work was carried out on the old hunting lodge and its outbuildings under Elector Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous.

Using a cellar from this period, Duke Friedrich Wilhelm II of Saxe-Altenburg and his hunting-enthusiastic wife Magdalena Sybille had the three-story castle building, which still exists today, erected between 1668 and 1670. At that time, it was part of a closed courtyard complex, which included not only the two side wings but also stables and other functional buildings.

The simple Baroque building was redesigned several times over the years. It experienced a heyday at the beginning of the 18th century under Duke Friedrich I of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and his successors. At that time, a so-called "Hetzgarten" (baiting garden) extended north of the castle, where representative hunts were carried out.

After 1826, the castle served as a hunting and summer residence for the new ducal house of Saxe-Altenburg. A park was laid out in place of the Hetzgarten; in 1856, due to increased space requirements, the Kavalierhaus (Cavalier's House) was built. On January 5, 1872, the western side wing of the castle burned down to its foundations. Various reconstruction plans were then developed. Instead, Duke Ernst I decided in favor of a new castle in the upper part of the park.

After the duke's expropriation, the Old Castle served as a recreation home and agricultural school from 1918, and after 1945 as a tuberculosis sanatorium and a senior and nursing home. The interior of the building underwent significant changes due to these reuses. After years of vacancy, the castle was auctioned off at a real estate auction in September 2007. The owners have advanced a fundamental renovation and expansion of the house to such an extent that the opening with 20 comfortable apartments for age-appropriate living is expected in autumn/winter 2011, in cooperation with Volkssolidarität Jena.