Glücksbrunn Castle

Glücksbrunn Castle is a historical monument in the municipality of Schweina in the Wartburg district and is located in the northeastern part of the village, near the Altenstein Cave.

Glücksbrunn Castle was built in 1703 on behalf of Johann Friedrich Trier, a court councilor of the Electorate of Saxony living in Dresden. In 1701, the wealthy court official had revived mining around Schweina with the purchase of mines and smelters. By 1705, 12 smelters were in operation and over 100 mine shafts were in use for this purpose. The demand for cobalt minerals brought additional profits. Glücksbrunn Castle became a secondary residence for the Trier family. Around 1780, the copper share of the business had significantly decreased, but the sale of cobalt minerals was still profitable. As forward-thinking entrepreneurs, the Triers separated from their company as early as 1783 and also sold the castle. Duke Ernst II of Gotha appeared as the buyer. The castle initially remained the seat of the Glücksbrunn mining company, which managed the operation of the smelters and mines. When the Sachsen-Meiningen Chamber, as the state economic and financial administration, took over the ailing operation in 1818, Glücksbrunn Castle was sold as real estate to a textile entrepreneur from Langensalza.

The halls in the castle were now repurposed as storage and production rooms; around 1890, over 400 workers were employed by the Weiss worsted spinning mill. At the turn of the century, the factory was handed over to a British textile manufacturer, Henry Joseph Swaine. After further changes of ownership and a bankruptcy during the Great Depression, the factory was revived in the 1930s through its merger with the worsted spinning mill located in Niederschmalkalden. After the Wende in the 1990s, the part of the operation belonging to VEB Kammgarnspinnerei Niederschmalkalden was closed.

The castle (and park area), designated as a cultural monument and testimony to local and industrial history, was managed by a trustee and offered for sale. After a long period of vacancy, it is now in private ownership and has been undergoing renovation within the scope of possibilities ever since.