Tonndorf Castle

The castle was built on a hill north of the village, presumably to protect the old trade route to Bohemia, in the 12th century. In 1248, Tonndorf Castle was documented, situated on a hill about 0.6 km north of the village and widely visible due to its prominent keep. It was probably built in the preceding century to protect the old Erfurt-Saalfeld trade route. It was initially a Mainz fief of the Counts of Weimar-Orlamünde, but was pledged to the Burgraves of Kirchberg in 1235.

From 1277 to 1287, the castle was administered by the Archdiocese of Mainz itself. Again granted to the Counts of Weimar-Orlamünde as a fief, the city of Erfurt conquered the complex in the Thuringian Counts' War in 1346. From 1351, the castle belonged to the city of Erfurt as a permanent possession. It served as its outpost against the Saale. In the Peasants' War of 1525, peasants stormed the castle complex, which then shared the eventful fate of the Tonndorf office. The castle served various purposes, including as a factory for lace-making. In 1938, it was sold to the Barmer Ersatzkasse, which, after renovations, established an exemplary children's convalescent home in the castle. Then the NSV set up a training center there. In May 1945, a staff of the US Army took quarters, followed by displaced persons and the Red Army with a hospital. The property, having fallen into disrepair, was expropriated. In 1950, Adolf Tegtmeier, the chief physician of the Bad Berka sanatoriums, established a hospital for tuberculosis patients in the castle. From 1968, it was a municipal old people's and nursing home, and from 1993 to 1998, a DRK senior and nursing home. Then the castle stood empty for 7 years until the newly founded "Schlossgemeinschaft Tonndorf e.V." took it over in 2002. Now 60 people live here under their care. The oldest parts of the complex are the outer wall ring with the moat, the 44 m high keep, whose wall at the base is 3.70 m thick, and the outer castle.