Lehesten Castle

In the 12th century, the Burgraves of Kirchberg enfeoffed Lehesten Castle to the Lords of Isserstedt. From the year 1200, individual members of this family called themselves Lords of Lehesten, and this branch of the family established itself as burgher nobility in Jena until the 16th century. During the Kirchberg Feud, the castle was captured by landgravial troops in May 1304 and likely completely destroyed. A few years later, Lehesten fell to the Thuringian Landgraves, who entrusted a branch of the Meldingen family with its reconstruction and habitation until around 1506.