Carlsburg Manor

The Carlsburg Manor is the most significant building within an estate complex with several structures in the settlement of Karlsburg, mentioned as Gereby as early as 1335 and renamed Karlsberg in 1807. The Carlsburg Manor, as the centerpiece of the former noble estate of Gereby, is one of the essential cultural monuments of the municipality of Winnemark in the district of Schwansen in northern Schleswig-Holstein. The building, also known as Schloss Carlsburg, was among other things owned by the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and is now privately owned. It is a country palace with a banquet hall, 25 apartments, several offices, and a café.

The estate near the Schlei originated from the village of Gereby, which came into the possession of the Rantzau family in 1539. Under the first estate owner Cai Rantzau, the village was largely demolished, and instead, a large farm was established, with a castle-like fortified manor built as its centerpiece. The estate remained in the possession of the Rantzaus for only two generations until it was sold in 1586 to a member of the Ahlefeld family. Due to inheritances or sales, the ownership changed hands in the following years; from 1598 to 1671, the estate belonged to the Rathlow family. During the Thirty Years' War and also during the so-called Polish War, the estate was plundered. From 1671 to 1785, it belonged to the von Brömbsen family. Around 1720, a new manor was built on the estate, and a large Baroque garden was laid out. By the end of the 18th century, the estate passed to Karl von Hessen-Kassel, who resided at Schloss Gottorf in nearby Schleswig as the governor of Schleswig-Holstein. Under his rule, in 1790, serfdom was abolished in Gereby, and the lands were parceled out and mostly leased.

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