Schwerstedt Castle

Schwerstedt was first mentioned as Suegerstete in a goods register of the Imperial Abbey of Hersfeld before 802. This makes the municipality one of the oldest places in the district. The place name can be derived from the Old High German Sweigari (= swineherd).

The Lords of Schwerstedt were mentioned in 1247 and 1302. They were perhaps the administrators of the moated castle, which was located in the area of the later manor house in the northwest of the village. Some stable buildings and preserved walls probably still date back to the fortress. The castle guards protected the passing Via Regia as well as the land and people.

The majority of the population made a living from agriculture. Woad cultivation is verifiable in the 16th century. Towards the end of the 19th century, beekeeping made the place famous. The local manor house included a brewery and later also a distillery. The village was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War. The plague also broke out several times in Schwerstedt.

Under Soviet occupation in 1945, the von Helldorff family, who owned the castle, the castle park, and the manor house with about 500 hectares, was dispossessed without compensation. The estate manager was picked up by the NKVD and never returned. The von Helldorff family went to West Germany. After the reunification, a daughter of the last castle and estate owner returned to Schwerstedt, took up residence in the "Villa" and reacquired part of the estate.

During GDR times, Schwerstedt was home to the agricultural school for the Weimar-Land district, which was housed in the old castle. Today, the institution is used as a State Vocational School for agricultural professions in Thuringia. Approximately 80 employees train a total of about 1800 students and apprentices per year.