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Founded: 1551-1572Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Reformation & Wars of Religion (Germany)
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Old Castle Freyenstein is a partially preserved Renaissance castle in the Freyenstein district of Wittstock/Dosse, Brandenburg. Built in the 16th century, it is known for its terracotta façade decorations.
Constructed between 1551 and 1572 by Dominicus Parr for Curdt von Rohr, the castle stood southeast of the city wall on the site of a medieval fort. It was partially surrounded by moats. Destroyed in 1631 during the Thirty Years’ War, it remained a ruin. Partial restoration occurred between 1969 and 1973, with the park redesigned in 1968.
Today, the castle hosts weddings and features a small exhibition of 19th- and 20th-century household items and tools.
Only parts of the original three-winged complex survive, including sections of the southern façade with two half-round tower remains and a richly decorated four-story north wing. Notable are its segment-arched windows, stair tower, and two three-story bay windows.
The façade features detailed terracotta elements likely from Lübeck master Statius von Düren’s workshop. These include pilasters, friezes, and portrait medallions of Paris and Conrad von Rohr. Restorations were done by HB Keramik in Marwitz.
References: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.