Widow's Palace, Plön

The Widow's Palace was originally a stately home dating to the Middle Ages, which was mentioned for the first time around 1385, and was a fief (Burglehen) of nearby Plön Castle.

The original building was renovated around 1540 and was used for various purposes, during the rule of the dukes of Plön, including acting as an orphanage from 1685.

From 1756 it was extended to become the widow's seat for Dorothea Christina, the mother of Duke Frederick Charles.

The barrel-vaulted basement of the palace dates to 1540, after when the building was converted and extended several times.

The interior character is that of the 19th century transformation; on the upper floor, the rococo ballroom of 1756, which faces the garden, has been preserved.