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Moated Castle Gerswalde
Moated Castle Gerswalde - Bower
image author: Förderverein Wasserburg Gerswalde e.V Description of Castle Facility Moated Castle Gerswalde
The Moated Castle conveys still today an impressive picture of a medieval castle facility.
Around a picturesque courtyard one can easily recognise the in a semicircle arranged fortress, bastion, another building the bower, the donjon and the remnants of the former main building, the palace. The 'bower' is in the best condition, a building constructed on a rectangle layout with stones and bricks. The look-alike embrasure openings were used for ventilation and apparently not as loopholes. The 'bower' was probably added later to the already destroyed castle and was used only for economical purposes. The ruins of the donjon still have a height of 8m and wall strength of 3m. The outside walls of the palace carry distinct traces of earlier vaults, stories and windows.
Enormous vaults of the ground floor were preserved over the centuries. Steps of the former outside staircase, which led from the palace to the courtyard, can be easily recognised since its restoration.
Window of the Moated Castle Gerswalde
image author: Förderverein Wasserburg Gerswalde e.V History of the Moated Castle Gerswalde
It is not possible to proof the origin of the Moated Castle Gerswalde either through certificates or archaeological finds.
So far it is assumed that the castle was built in the time from 1239 to 1250 by the Askanier as outcome of the conquest of the Uckermark, which belonged to Pomerania until the middle of the 13th century.
The Haussee, which was much bigger then reached the bank. But it is not possible to prove a moat today.
Henning von Arnim got in 1463 the joint tenure of the castle and the 'little town' with market rights. The castle was since then the ancestral seat of the family von Armin.
Achim von Arnim built in 1530 on the fore-castle the 'Red House'.
The castle was completely destroyed in 1637, during the 30-year War, as was nearly the whole of Gerswalde.
Castle and palace passed in 1929 to the Antroposophische Gesellschaft; the facility was used from 1952 to 1989 by the Jugendwerkhof "Neues Leben" and is since 1989 youth hostel and training centre.
The ownership of the castle ruin with big parts of the palace park and the Haussee were transferred in 1993 to the community Gerswalde.
image author: Förderverein Wasserburg Gerswalde e.V Floorplan of the Moated Castle Gerswalde
13th-14th century
a - Donjon
b - Ring wall
c - Castle gate
d - additional entrance
e - Palace
f - probably outside staircase
15th century
h - Bastion
k - Embrasure
(16th century?)
l - later stone building (bower)
19th/20th century
g - rebuilding
The pictures + contents of page were kindly made available by Förderverein Wasserburg Gerswalde e.V..
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