© Christian Giegler
Burg Wanzleben (Wanzleben Castle) is one of the largest lowland castles in Europe. Its landmark, the thousand-year-old keep, which is over 30 meters high, still towers over the castle today.
From the 12th to the 14th century, the lords of Wanzleben acted as feudatories of the monastery of Gandersheim. In 1378 they had to sell the castle to the archbishops of Magdeburg for lack of money. In 1578 the archbishops redesigned the former defensive castle into a residential castle and created a new entrance with their coat of arms above the gate, which is still used today.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Prussian domain of Wanzleben was established, and in 1778 the Kühne family of knights, who had been living in Wanzleben since 1690, leased the estate as a royal bailiwick.
Among the many guests over the centuries were Duke Ludolf and Oda of Saxony, Major Schill, King Frederick the Great of Prussia, Queen Luise of Prussia and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, whose armies rested in Wanzleben.
In 1945 the domain was taken over by the Red Army and the Kühne family was expropriated. During the years of the GDR government, the castle's premises were used for various institutions such as a bank, LPG, kindergarten, but lack of funds threatened the decay of many buildings. After the reunification, the castle was purchased in 1993 by Dr. Friedrich-Wilhelm Kühne, a grandson of the last tenant of the domain, Amtsrat Erich Kühne. Over the years, the castle was gradually restored and transformed into a hotel complex with a unique atmosphere.
Guided tours by arrangement.