Details
Founded: 12th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)
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Wiesenburg Castle, located in Brandenburg near the village of Wiesenburg and the Hoher Fläming Nature Park, dates back to the 12th century. Originally a fortified village, its oldest part (the keep) was built during the time of Margrave Albert the Bear to defend against Wendish incursions. Over the centuries, the estate changed hands among various noble families, notably the Brand von Lindau family, who owned it until 1734. The castle suffered during the Thirty Years' War and was partially rebuilt and restored in later centuries, including major work in 1864.
During the GDR era, it housed a school until 1992. In 1996, it was sold to a private investor who renovated it extensively by 2003, preserving its 19th-century exterior while converting the interior into modern apartments. Today, the public can visit the 48-meter tower and entrance tower (now housing a restaurant). The courtyard and garden hall are also available for private or cultural events.
The surrounding castle park, a protected landscape, was designed in the 19th-century English style and includes rare trees from Europe, North America, China, and Japan. Notable specimens include Douglas firs, blue spruces, cedars, magnolias, azaleas, and a striking ginkgo biloba that turns golden in autumn. The southern area holds a rhododendron collection, while ancient beeches and oaks, some over 400 years old, stand at the park’s edge. Sculptures and majolica vases by Alexander Calandrelli adorn the grounds, along with mythological stone figures used as benches.
Pathways, grottos, and terraces lead through the park, with decorative birds such as Chinese ducks and swans adding charm to the historic setting.
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.