Putbus Palace

During the communist period in East Germany, the palace was demolished in 1962 due to political reasons, and the remains were removed by 1964.

They choose the Putbus stronghold as their main seat and constructed there a stone house, which was mentioned multiple times in documents from around 1371.

In 1725, count Moritz Ulrich von Putbus (1699–1769) renewed the castle in baroque style, with only the Gothic wing and the Renaissance part remaining.

[1] In 1807, count Wilhelm Malte I von Putbus (1783–1854) was created prince (Fürst) by king Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Swedish Pomerania.

[4] In 1810, Wilhelm Malte founded the town of Putbus next to the palace, and developed it into a luxury seaside resort like Bad Doberan and Heiligendamm.

The orchestrated park landscape of trees, bushes, flowers, meadows, water surfaces, paths, and squares was intended to represent an alternative world to the usual harsh reality.

A fire – probably caused by a later installed hot air heating system – destroyed large parts of the new castle on 23 December 1865.

[1][2] The central courtyard was demolished, and a hall was created, followed by a terraced area at the rear, staggered six times towards the Swan Pond.

With the end of World War II, looting occurred, and as there was no immediate use planned, material removal and decay began.

[1] The communist government in East Germany confiscated the palace and the estate that extended over a sixth of the island of Rügen.

With the final examinations in spring 1951, as part of the reorganization of drama schools in East Germany, the branch in Putbus palace was closed.

Vistas were created towards the Greifswald Bay, the swan pond was expanded and provided with an artificial island accessible via a bridge.

According to the association's spokesperson, Torsten Seegert, many citizens had expressed their willingness to participate in the project and pledged donations.

In January 2020, a donation account was set up for this purpose[9] In 2021, the universities of Greifswald and Vienna conducted studies on the castle square, including drone surveys of the area.