Oberschloss Kranichfeld

The origins of Oberschloss date back to the 12th century, when a castle complex of the Lords of Kranichfeld was first mentioned. In the 15th century, the younger line of the Lords of Reuß began transforming it into the current Renaissance castle. After several changes of ownership, the castle was severely damaged by a fire in 1934. The last owner handed it over to Heinrich Himmler, who intended to convert it into a place of worship. Parts of the castle were subsequently rebuilt by concentration camp prisoners under duress. After 1945, a period of decay began, which was only halted and remedied from 1994 onwards when the Stiftung Thüringer Schlösser und Gärten took over.