Schloss Mückenberg, Baroque castle ruins in Lauchhammer-West, Germany

Schloss Mückenberg is a Baroque castle ruin in the Lauchhammer-West district, originally built with three wings over two stories. Only the foundations remain today, and a row of yew trees planted along the former walls still traces the outline of the original structure.

The castle was built between 1735 and 1737 on the orders of Baroness Margaretha von Löwendal, replacing a fortification that had stood on the same site since 1278. The building was destroyed in 1945, leaving the foundations and the planted trees as the only physical traces.

The Schlosskirche survives alongside the former park and some outbuildings; the castle itself was demolished after burning in the final days of the Second World War. The estate is tied to Benedicta Margaretha von Löwendal, who moved her residence here in 1716 and in 1725 received the privilege to run the Lauchhammer iron foundry. She died at Mückenberg in July 1776 and was buried in the Löwendal vault of the Bockwitz Nikolaikirche.

The castle itself is gone, so what remains to visit is the former Schlosspark, the Schlosskirche and a few outbuildings in the south of Lauchhammer. The grounds are open, but paths through the old park can be muddy after rain, so dry weather is better for walking.

The castle burned down in the final days of the Second World War through arson and the ruin was later demolished; the park, the Schlosskirche and a few outbuildings survived. The baroness Benedicta Margaretha von Löwendal died at the castle in July 1776 and was buried in the Löwendal vault of the Bockwitz Nikolaikirche beside her husband and four children who died young.