Schloss Krobnitz is a ''

Schloss ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate ...

'' in

Reichenbach (Oberlausitz) Reichenbach/O.L. (full German name: Reichenbach/Oberlausitz, Sorbian language, Sorbian: ''Rychbach'') is a town in the Görlitz (district), Görlitz district, in eastern Saxony, Germany. It is located 13 km west of Görlitz. History From 18 ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

(Germany). Dating from the 17th century, it was the residence of the

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

Minister of War

Albrecht von Roon Albrecht Theodor Emil Graf von Roon (; 30 April 180323 February 1879) was a Prussian soldier and statesman. As Minister of War from 1859 to 1873, Roon, along with Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke, was a dominating figure in Prussia's ...

during the 19th century.

History

A manorial estate on this site was mentioned for the first time in 1315. However, it is not known who the owners of the estate were until the 17th century, when the von Nostiz family acquired the manor. The present manor house was built during the middle of the 18th century, and originally belonged to the family von Üchtritz. The building was originally

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

in style. In 1873 the estate was acquired by the Prussian Minister of War, ''

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...

. von Roon rebuilt the building and had an additional floor added. This transformed the Baroque house into a Neoclassical building. The new design was similar to that of the Prussian Ministry of War in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. During the same time, the park of the estate was enlarged. Albrecht von Roon also had a small family burial crypt constructed in the farther reaches of the park. His son, Waldemar von Roon had the chapel enlarged in a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. The chapel has since been destroyed. In 1945, the estate was expropriated and the family moved from the castle. For some time it was used to house refugees, but later it was divided into apartments. The whole estate suffered from neglect during the entire

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

period. In 2000, it was bought by the local municipality, and it was renovated between 2003 and 2005. It today houses a museum with a permanent exhibition about the life of Albrecht von Roon, as well as the offices of the Schlesisch-Oberlausitzer Museumsverbund, an association of museums that operate in the area. The estate also includes the former manor house park, a former smithy and stable, and the former estate inspector's house. Events and exhibitions regularly take place at the estate.

References

External links

* {{commons category-inline, Schloss Krobnitz Castles in Saxony Museums in Saxony Buildings and structures in Görlitz (district)