Burg Schadeleben: A Former Castle Complex in Schönebeck, Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.2
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page10 sections
History
Burg Schadeleben, also known as Schloss Schadeleben or Burghof Salzelmen, is a former castle complex in Schönebeck, Germany. It was built between 1310 and 1319 by Burchard III, the medieval archbishop of Magdeburg, the senior Christian bishop of the Magdeburg archbishopric. The castle had a clerical social status and later developed through palace-like expansions in 1533 and 1804.
Medieval Foundation and Later Expansion
Burchard III established Burg Schadeleben during the early fourteenth century. Its connection with the archbishopric gave the complex an ecclesiastical character, while later building campaigns changed its form. An expansion in 1533 gave the castle a more palace-like appearance, and a further enlargement followed in 1804.
Napoleonic Occupation
On 22 October 1806, Marshal Ney, a senior French commander during the Napoleonic period, occupied Schönebeck. The castle was then being used as a forced-labor institution, but it was converted into a military hospital during the occupation. All prisoners were released. During the evacuation, the inventory was removed and much of it was destroyed, an episode described by Wilhelm Schulze.
Twentieth-Century Uses
During the Second World War, the local historian Wilhelm Schulze arranged for archival materials to be stored in the Schönebeck salt shaft. In 1950, he organized the transfer of the city archive to the castle building at Burghof Salzelmen, the former Burg Schadeleben. The Burghof later served for a time as a reception home for people relocating from West Germany. In 1961, it became a nursing home.
Most of the castle was demolished in 1874, leaving a three-storey residential building. The surviving remains stand at Burghof 1 in Schönebeck-Bad Salzelmen, in the Salzland district of Saxony-Anhalt.
Remains
The former castle complex survives as a ruin within the settled area of Schönebeck. Its remaining elements include a gatehouse with a defensive wall, the castle building known as the Bath House, the three-storey residential building, and a newer palace building called Haus Mechthild. Together, these structures represent the surviving parts of a complex that underwent repeated alteration after its medieval foundation.
Surviving Castle Buildings
Gatehouse and Defensive Wall
The gatehouse remains associated with a surviving section of defensive wall. This entrance and wall fragment form part of the ruined castle complex within the settlement.
Bath House
The building known as the Bath House is another surviving element of the former castle. It is identified as a castle building within the remaining complex.
Residential Building
The residential building is three storeys high and is the principal surviving building from the castle after the 1874 demolition.
Haus Mechthild
Haus Mechthild is a newer palace building within the former castle complex. It retains a remnant of the surrounding wall.
Nearby sites
