Landsberg Castle

The site's history dates back to 1129, when Landeswehre Castle was first documented. This served to protect important trade routes and a ford across the Werra River. During the German Peasants' War in 1525, the castle was stormed by rebellious peasants and largely destroyed; only the keep and parts of the walls remained. Duke Bernhard Erich Freund of Saxe-Meiningen acquired the land in 1836 and had a new Neo-Gothic castle built between 1836 and 1840. After World War I, the castle became private property and was not publicly accessible until 1945. Later, it served as a retirement home and educational institution before being converted into an excursion restaurant in the 1960s and then into a luxury hotel from 1975 to 1978. Since 2008, the castle has belonged to the non-profit “Stiftung Meininger Baudenkmäler” (Meiningen Historic Buildings Foundation).