Pretzsch Castle

The listed historical monument Pretzsch Castle is located in Pretzsch, a district of the town of Bad Schmiedeberg in the Wittenberg district of Saxony-Anhalt. As early as the year 981, there was a castle site in place of the castle, which from 1325 was a fief of Magnus von Rehfeld-Löser.
In 1380, a new castle complex was built on the old castle site, of which no visible remains can be found today. Under Hans Löser, a two-winged Renaissance castle was constructed in place of the castle between 1571 and 1574. At the end of the Thirty Years' War, which the building survived almost unscathed, the complex was sold in 1647 to Wolf Christoph von Arnim. His sons exchanged the property in 1689 with the then Elector Johann Georg III. for three knight's estates. From 1694 to 1696, the castle was the residence of the widow of Johann Georg IV, Eleonore of Saxony-Eisenach. From 1697, the complex belonged to the life annuity of Christiane Eberhardine, the wife of August the Strong. Numerous construction measures took place at the castle complex until her death in 1727. From 1783, the castle served as a residence for the then chief forester and game master. Between 1829 and 1923, the building was used as a girl’s orphanage and was part of the Great Military Orphanage in Potsdam. Afterwards, the castle was utilized as a factory for organs and harmoniums, a tavern, and accommodation for spa guests of the moor bath. During World War II, it served as a border police school until 1941, then as a hospital and reception center for resettlers. Since 1947, there has been a children's home here.

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