Schloss Wildprechtroda, Renaissance château in Bad Salzungen, Germany.
Schloss Wildprechtroda is a Renaissance château in Thuringia with three buildings organized around a central courtyard. The complex originally sat within a water-filled moat, remnants of which still mark the surrounding grounds.
In 1432 the Lords of Buttlar received a share of Wildprechtroda and moved into an old water castle they called the "Altes Schloss". In the 16th century they built the present Renaissance-style palace on its foundations, keeping the moat. From the end of World War II until 1990 the GDR regime housed 27 families of expellees from Germany's eastern territories in the building. In 1996 Otto von Butler (Buttlar) bought back his birthplace and began restoration; the family moved into the ground floor in 2011.
The Lords of Buttlar built the new castle in the 16th century on the foundations of their old water castle, choosing an Italian-inspired Renaissance style. The three buildings around the light court and the retained moat show that design choice. The castle is not open to the public; only the hall can be used for private celebrations.
The castle is a private residence and cannot be visited; only the hall is available, and only for private celebrations. The family has lived on the ground floor since 2011, so the grounds and interiors are not open to walk-in visitors. Arrange any use of the hall directly with the owners in advance.
After 1945 the castle housed 27 families of resettlers from Germany's former eastern territories, a use imposed by the GDR regime. The last of them lived there until the end of the GDR in 1990. In 1996 Otto von Butler (Buttlar) bought back his birthplace and began the restoration; the family moved into the ground floor in 2011.
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