To be privately owned
CastleMöthlitz
Möthlitz Castle
This site has no photo yet. Sign in to contribute one.
Möthlitz Castle is located in the center of the village of Möthlitz. Möthlitz is situated in Havelland between Brandenburg an der Havel and Rathenow. The castle looks back on a long history, and it is also one of about fifty surviving manor houses in the state of Brandenburg.
Möthlitz was first mentioned in a document in 1303. The place names Motelicze and Motenitz also appeared.
At the time of the Thirty Years' War, two noble estates existed in Möthlitz, but they were burned down by acts of war along with the entire village.
In 1648, one of the two estates was rebuilt in the form of a new magnificent noble residence in a clay-timber-frame construction. This magnificent building developed into today's Möthlitz Castle. This estate was built by the Hüne(i)cke family. Already in the second half of the 14th century, the family owned estates in the Harz, in Jerchel, Möthlitz, and Vehlen. Matthias von Hünicke was a canon and senior of the chapter in Brandenburg. In 1669, he donated the patron's pew for the Möthlitz church. The manorial rule of the Hünicke family ended with the death of Hermann von Hünicke in 1903.
Thus, the family held Möthlitz Castle for a good 500 years. Such a long continuity of ownership of a castle is very rare in the Mark Brandenburg.
His niece, the widow Hedwig von Knoblauch, née von Blücher, inherited the castle and undertook extensive renovation and modernization measures. A kitchen wing was built on the south-east side, a winter garden on the east side, and new buildings for a wheelwright's workshop. The entire facade was reworked. Inside the castle, central heating, a domestic water supply, and a system for generating illuminating gas were installed. Parts of a vegetable garden behind the house were transformed into a park. A new driveway was planted with plane trees. The renovation was financed by the sale of clay from the Möthlitz field.
In the 1920s, her son Botho Wiegand Hans Eduard took over the property. In 1927, he married Marianne Luise von Alvensleben in his second marriage. Their two sons were born in Möthlitz Castle. The financial situation of the estate deteriorated from 1927 due to the generally poor state of agriculture. Therefore, from 1931, the property was placed under compulsory administration.
Finally, the estate was sold in 1938. Subsequently, the castle was owned by Wolf Dietrich von Klitzing for three years. The last Möthlitz castle owner was dispossessed in 1945.
After the end of the war, the castle served briefly as a residential building and was used as an apprentice dormitory by the LPG Pflanzenproduktion until 1991.
The castle stood empty until 2004. Since then, the castle has been restored and modernized.
Architecture+
The castle, along with the church, shapes the townscape of Möthlitz. The two-story building with a half-hipped roof is located directly on the main street.
Above the main entrance is an arched field with the coats of arms of the Hünicke and Knoblauch families. Until after 1945, there was a supporting pillar in the house with the inscription "Renoviert 1803" (Renovated 1803).
In 1949, Hedwig von Knoblauch's additions were removed, namely the kitchen wing in the south-east, a balcony supported by two Doric columns with an architrave, and the winter garden in the east. Today, there is an extension with a flat-pitched roof from the LPG era; the castle reduced to its core building – its architectural style follows the Prussian rural building school developed by David Gilly.
Outbuildings+
Next to the castle is the former inspector's residence, built in the early 19th century and a 2-story building – also with a half-hipped roof. The building was used as a gristmill and granary after 1945.
At the beginning of the 19th century, there was the right to distill one's own schnapps and brew beer. A distillery and brewery belonged to the estate. For all festivities in Möthlitz, the beer had to be obtained from there.
Current Use+
The castle and several outbuildings are now back in private ownership. During consultations with the local council, initial ideas for the use of the castle and the inspector's residence were presented. The owners want to focus on tourism development and turn the castle into a holiday castle in the form of a self-catering accommodation. Also, according to the idea, a wide range of leisure activities should develop in and around the castle. Finally, the new owners can imagine setting up a mill museum with a wine cellar and other attractions.
Take Mobile History with you
You are reading this text for free. Premium adds what matters on the road: descriptions read aloud, sites found through your camera, whole regions taken offline.
- Every description, including the ~17,700 Premium sites
- Audio guide: have descriptions read to you on location
- AR finder: see sites through your camera, with distance and bearing
- Unlimited saved sites
14 days free, then from €2.99 a month. Cancel anytime.
Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 52.4747, 12.3887