Bonau Castle: A Manor Estate in Saxony-Anhalt
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
On this page7 sections
History
Bonau Castle is a manor estate in Bonau, a district of Teuchern in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Built in 1627 on the foundations of an older fortified castle, it acquired its present form in the first quarter of the eighteenth century.
Ownership and tenure
An aristocratic family held the estate until 1550, when the von Bünau family took possession. The von Weißbach family acquired it in 1585 and held it until 1689, when the von Bünau family regained it. They sold Bonau to the von Dieskau family in 1704; the Erfurth family acquired it in 1710. The von Zedtwitz family held the estate from 1718, followed by the von Zehmen family in 1784 and the von Ingersleben family in 1811. In 1814 it passed to non-aristocratic owners.
In 1696, Bonau became a hereditary fief, land held under feudal tenure with inheritance rights. A cabinet order made it freehold property in 1833, ending that tenure.
War and modern changes
During the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), a conflict involving European powers in Europe and elsewhere, the hymn writer and fabulist Christian Fürchtegott Gellert stayed at Bonau with the von Zedtwitz family. Gellert (1715–1769) was a German writer of the Enlightenment, known for his hymns and fables.
In 1945, land reform in the Soviet-administered occupation zone of postwar Germany led to the owner’s expropriation. The castle housed refugees until a fire in its roof structure forced them to leave. Between 1992 and 1994, the building was renovated and converted into a hotel. The hotel’s last lessee filed for insolvency, and the castle has been privately owned since 2005.
Remains
The castle and its grounds
Residential building
The castle is a two-storey building of rubble stone, topped by a high hipped roof. It stands on the foundations of the older fortified castle.
Moat and grounds
Bonau was formerly a moated castle built on piles, with water surrounding it on all four sides. A bridge linked the farmyard and the residential building. Around 1800, the western stretch of the moat was filled in and a house garden was laid out there.
