Schlemmin Castle

Schlemmin Castle is a manor house in Schlemmin in the district of Vorpommern-Rügen. Built in the Neo-Gothic style, the building was erected in the mid-19th century according to designs by Eduard Knoblauch for Wilhelm Ulrich von Thun.

As early as 1320, Heinrich von Thun was hereditary resident in Schlemmin as a councilor to Prince Wizlaw III of Rügen. The von Thun family, probably immigrants from Lower Saxony, built a castle in Schlemmin in the 14th century, which was rebuilt several times in the following centuries. A wall thickness of 1.8 meters and the presence of a moat and castle dungeon are documented.

In 1838, Major General Wilhelm Ulrich von Thun, serving in Prussian military, inherited the feudal estate of Schlemmin, among other properties. He had his estates allodified and expanded his landholdings by purchasing surrounding lands. Since the family's old castle was no longer usable, the construction of a suitable new manor house became necessary. Wilhelm Ulrich von Thun commissioned the Berlin architect and building councilor Eduard Knoblauch for this purpose. According to Knoblauch's design and under his supervision, Schlemmin Castle was built from 1846 to 1850 by local craftsmen. In addition to the castle, the farmyard, the farm laborers' cottages, the schoolhouse, the church, and other buildings in the village were also renovated. In 1853, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV visited Schlemmin and stayed overnight at the castle. After the death of Lieutenant General Wilhelm Ulrich von Thun in 1862, a Fideikommiss (entailed estate) was established for the Schlemmin estates.

Through marriage, the property passed to Count Bolko zu Stolberg-Wernigerode and finally belonged to the Counts zu Solms-Rödelheim, who had leased the estate, until its expropriation in 1945. In the 1930s and 1940s, the castle stood empty until a military hospital was established there in 1943. From 1944, refugees were also accommodated here. After World War II, 160 displaced persons were housed in the castle. During GDR times, a Konsum (cooperative store) and a school were set up there. From 1970, Schlemmin Castle served as a guesthouse for the LPG (agricultural cooperative) of Trinwillershagen.

After the reunification, Schlemmin Castle was initially owned by the municipality of Schlemmin. After unsuccessful management by a Berlin-based corporate group, it was administered by the TLG from 1992. In 1999, Schlemmin Castle was bought by a private investor who, after a fundamental renovation, established a hotel in the castle.