Details
Founded: 1538Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Reformation & Wars of Religion (Germany)
User Reviews
Vetschau Castle is a Renaissance-style building located in Vetschau, Brandenburg. It is a protected historic monument and currently houses the town administration.
The three-story castle, built from 1538, surrounds a small courtyard and features a mix of Renaissance and 19th-century architectural elements, including a mansard roof, arcades on wooden columns, and an octagonal tower added in the 18th century. Inside, one room retains a 16th-century vaulted ceiling, while the richly decorated 'Knight’s Hall' with stucco ceiling and fireplace dates from around 1880. A grand staircase leads to it from the courtyard.
Originally a medieval moated castle, the site was transformed into a Renaissance palace by Eustachius von Schlieben in 1540. The estate remained in noble hands until 1913, undergoing various renovations over centuries. Major changes occurred around 1900, including the remodeling of the courtyard and park in English landscape style.
After passing to the city of Vetschau in 1920, the castle became the town hall. During the DDR period, it was used as an agricultural institute, with some alterations made to its interior and facade.
Since reunification, the castle has undergone extensive restoration. The roof and facade were renewed, historic arcades reopened, and the Knight’s Hall restored to its 19th-century appearance. Today, alongside the town offices, the castle includes a small local museum and serves as a venue for weddings and cultural events.
Radimlja is a stećak (monumental medieval tombstones, that lie scattered across Bosnia and Herzegovina) necropolis located near Stolac. The necropolis is one of the most valuable monuments of the mediaeval period in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The majority of its stećak tombstones date from the 1480s through the 16th century, as evidenced by the epitaph on one of the tombstones. This was the period when the family Miloradović-Stjepanović from genus Hrabren lived in the settlement located on near hill Ošanići. At the time the location was known as Batnoge, and the creation of the necropolis coincides with the rise of this noble family.
The necropolis includes 133 stećci. When the Čapljina-Stolac road was built during the Austro-Hungarian period in 1882, it ran through the necropolis and destroyed at least 15-20 tombstones.