Reinbek Castle

[2] In 1544, a succession treaty came into force, as a result of which the newly crowned Danish King Christian III gave part of his territories to his younger half-brothers John II and Adolf I.

He served Emperor Charles V, participated as a military commander in the Schmalkaldic War, and fought for England against the Netherlands.

[5] Additionally, it operated as guesthouse for individuals coming from regions located south of Schleswig-Holstein, saving them the trip to Gottorf.

[7] The administration of the Gottorf exclave was primarily handled by bailiffs who were stationed at Reinbek Castle in 1646, assuming the duties of the castellan as well.

During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was occupied first by Swedish and later by imperial troops but escaped looting and destruction.

Johanna Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf, who was the mother of Catherine the Great, traveled to Russia as the Countess of Reinbek, intending to spend her old age at the palace.

However, due to constant costs and repairs, the castle's suitability as an administrative seat was questioned, and there were discussions about demolishing it.

The Danish Chamber of Pensions, the financial authority responsible for the castle, even suggested constructing a new building using the materials from the demolition.

In 1818, a government architect named Christian Frederik Hansen provided an expert opinion that helped to stop the planned demolition of Reinbek Castle.

[14] Margarete von Patow purchased the castle from the Specht family in 1919 and transformed it into the Pniel Christian vacation home.

Remarkably, the castle remained undamaged during the Second World War and served as a temporary shelter for refugees from the German eastern territories in the post-war period.

The institute gradually relocated from Reinbek over the second half of the 20th century, resulting in the castle being put up for sale for the third time.

The castle premises are open for public visits to a large extent, although they are only partially equipped as museums due to their modern use.

This architecture was different from the traditional ducal noble homes, which were typically made up of multiple houses or closed four-winged complexes.

The master builder of the castle is unknown,[15] but it is believed that Hercules Oberberg or Peter of Maastricht may have been involved in the design.

One unique architectural feature in this region is the courtyard's arcade, which is made up of Tuscan columns and connects the rooms of the north and east wings on the first floor.

In 1874, during the conversion of the palace into a hotel, a neo-Gothic porch with an entrance hall was added in front of the central wing.

[18] The eastern stair tower on the south wing was demolished, and the courtyard arcades were sealed, creating an interior corridor connecting the first-floor rooms.

Additionally, at the dawn of the 20th century, the castle chapel was abandoned and transformed into new rooms through the installation of partition walls.

Between 1977 and 1987, extensive restoration efforts were undertaken to revert the modifications and return the castle to its original state during Duchess Augusta's era.

[1] The three-wing layout of the palace defied the later Baroque understanding of space, which typically featured a central banqueting hall and symmetrical apartments.

Access to the rooms in the north and east wings was provided through the courtyard arcade and a gallery beneath the knee wall, representing a modern innovation in castle construction in Schleswig-Holstein.

While the exterior of the castle remained relatively unchanged until the 19th century, significant additions and alterations were consistently made to the interior.

During the 18th century, the oak ceilings were concealed under vaulted structures, and the room layout underwent partial redistribution, particularly to accommodate its use as a hotel.

While the exterior of the palace was predominantly restored to its Renaissance condition, certain modifications had to be accepted to accommodate the new function of the interior spaces, particularly since the original layouts and uses of the rooms could not be fully reconstructed.

Any remaining historical traces were carefully preserved and elaborated upon, with special attention given to the painted beamed ceilings found in numerous rooms.

[20] The Court Hall and the Ballroom above the south wing are still the largest rooms in the palace, having been built during the restoration phase.

The common feature among all of the rooms is that they all have modern fixtures that support the cultural center's present uses while also being complemented with furniture that is stylistically contemporary.

The garden featured a pleasure house, a small bathhouse built by Duchess Augusta, and a boat for the ducal family moored in the mill pond.

The garden areas close to the castle lost their old shape due to negligent maintenance and were transformed into a landscape park in the course of the 19th century, but this was done without a plan or concept.