Château d'Alt Madlitz, Stately home in Briesen, Germany

Château d'Alt Madlitz is a stately home in Briesen located in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg with classical architectural features. The three-story building displays a balanced, symmetrical design with regular window arrangements throughout its facade.

The estate was first recorded in 1373 as Modelicz and belonged to the von Wulffen family from 1551 to 1751, when Kaspar von Wulffen built a simple fieldstone house. In 1751 the Finck von Finckenstein counts bought it, and Friedrich Ludwig Karl Finck von Finckenstein rebuilt the manor in the 18th century as a three-storey country palace. The family was expropriated in 1945 and the building served as a kindergarten under the GDR.

The English garden on the grounds was created in 1772 and represented new ideas that moved away from older French garden styles of the time. Visitors can see how this garden reflects the shift in taste during that period.

The grounds are open to visitors and feature guest rooms, seminar spaces, and an on-site café. The best time to visit is during warmer months when the gardens look their finest.

After German reunification the estate was returned to the Finck von Finckenstein family, unlike most Brandenburg castles. Karl Wilhelm, born at Alt Madlitz in 1923, restored the house and had Clemens Alexander Wimmer reconstruct the park. Today the estate runs a farm cooperative of 1,000 hectares, 2,000 hectares of forest, a Christmas tree plantation and a 2,508-hectare hunting ground.