Pheasant Island, Cultural heritage island in Eutin, Germany.
Pheasant Island is one of two islands in the south of Großer Eutiner See, measuring about 150 by 200 metres and covering roughly 2.1 hectares. It lies within the borough of Eutin in Ostholstein, Schleswig-Holstein, and forms one of the focal points of the sightlines from the former Baroque garden of Eutin Castle. The island is privately owned and not inhabited.
From the 9th century a Wendish castle named Utin stood on the island, linked to the shore by a bridge, and served as the centre of the eponymous Gau. The Holsteiners destroyed it in 1138/39 during the conquest of Wagria; the settlement then moved to the shore and grew into present-day Eutin.
The island is visible from the Baroque garden of Eutin Castle and forms an important part of the designed landscape. Visitors to the castle grounds can view it from the shore and appreciate how it was integrated into the garden's composition.
The island is in private ownership and cannot be entered; a foundation managed by the Stiftung Naturschutz Schleswig-Holstein holds it, and plans to open it for the 2016 Landesgartenschau failed amid legal disputes. It is best viewed from the shore of the Großer Eutiner See or from the former Baroque garden of Eutin Castle, whose sightlines are aligned on it.
The island was auctioned by the Eutin district court in April 2014 and transferred to a private foundation managed in trust by the Stiftung Naturschutz Schleswig-Holstein. Plans to open it to the public during the 2016 State Garden Show failed amid legal disputes.
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