Schloss Ponitz, Renaissance manor house in Ponitz, Germany

Schloss Ponitz is a rectangular Renaissance manor house standing on the right bank of the Pleiße river in Thuringia. The building features two complete stories with coffered ceilings and is surrounded by park-like grounds.

Ponitz Castle was first documented in 1254, when Fridericus de Ponicz appears as witness to a donation; a medieval water castle stood here. In 1568 Abraham von Thumbshirn bought the knight's estate and had the water castle rebuilt in Renaissance style by 1574. Its best-known owner, Wolfgang Conrad von Thumbshirn, co-signed the 1648 Peace of Westphalia for Saxe-Altenburg and became its chancellor in 1653. In 1945 the Mälzer family was expropriated and the estate passed to the municipality.

The castle is known for its painted 16th-century coffered ceilings in the festival hall, which was reopened in 2000 after restoration. The Förderverein "Renaissanceschloss Ponitz e.V." works to keep the building in use and maintained, and the hall now hosts events.

The castle is owned by the municipality of Ponitz and serves as a venue for events; the Förderverein "Renaissanceschloss Ponitz e.V." works for its use and upkeep. The festival hall was closed by the building authorities in 1987 and reopened in 2000 after restoration begun in the 1990s. Visitors should look for the painted 16th-century coffered ceilings in the festival hall.

The basement preserves elements of the original water castle, revealing medieval foundations beneath the Renaissance exterior. These hidden layers show the site's longer and more complex architectural evolution.