Plaue Castle

The origins of Plaue Castle date back to 1216, when a fortified house at this location was first mentioned in a document. In 1414, Margrave Friedrich I and Archbishop Günther of Magdeburg captured the then Quitzowburg of Knight Johann von Quitzow after a siege. Despite its massive brick walls, considered impregnable, the castle was partially destroyed. Georg von Waldenfels took over the complex in 1459, refortified it, and expanded it, incorporating the remaining elements to form a 16th-century castle. Between 1711 and 1716, under Friedrich von Görne, the current three-winged Baroque palace was built, distinguished by its dimensions and features such as a chapel, an altan, and a "Chinese Room." Even the Soldier King Friedrich Wilhelm I and the Russian Tsar Peter I are said to have been guests here. Under Leopold von Görne, the pleasure garden was redesigned in 1749.