Prehistory of the castle grounds The
Reinbek monastery, a convent of
Cistercian nuns, had stood on the site of the current castle since 1250. However, it was deactivated in 1528 during the
Reformation. The Danish King Frederick I purchased the monastery buildings and land for 12,000 Lübische Marks. Unfortunately, the monastery complex was affected by the
Count's Feud in 1534, which caused unrest. Like many Danish properties, it was looted and set on fire by troops from
Lübeck during this conflict. In 1544, a succession treaty came into force, as a result of which the newly crowned Danish King
Christian III gave part of his territories to his younger half-brothers John II and Adolf I. This geographical division led to the creation of two new duchies: the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Hadersleben, which only lasted for a short time, and the Duchy of
Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf. Adolf I, the youngest brother, became the first duke of the Gottorf territory, which included the Reinbek lands. As a result, Reinbek formed an
exclave within Adolf I's fragmented territory, primarily in northern
Schleswig. Adolf I even pursued a marriage proposal to the English Queen
Elizabeth I, which was turned down. He eventually married
Christine of Hesse at the age of 38 and had numerous children. After renovating Gottorf Castle, Duke Adolf also commissioned the construction of Reinbek,
Husum, Tönning, and Trittau castles.
Time of the Gottorf Dukes Reinbek Castle was built for Duke Adolf from 1572 to 1576. Its purpose was to serve as a secondary residence for the duke when he traveled to the
Reinbek and
Trittau districts. The castle also functioned as a hunting lodge since large
par force hunts were organized annually in the nearby
Sachsenwald forest. Additionally, it operated as guesthouse for individuals coming from regions located south of
Schleswig-Holstein, saving them the trip to Gottorf. While there was no permanent court at the castle, a
castellan managed its affairs in the duke's absence, along with a team of servants. The castle grounds included various outbuildings such as a grain distillery, brewery, barns, and stables. It also featured a kitchen garden and fish ponds. The administration of the Gottorf exclave was primarily handled by
bailiffs who were stationed at Reinbek Castle in 1646, assuming the duties of the castellan as well. Following Duke Adolf’s demise, the castle was given
dowry status and operated as a residence for the ducal widows. It was used by Christine of Hesse and after the death of
Johann Adolf, it served
Augusta of Denmark as an occasional residence. The duchess also made some extensions to the castle around 1620, such as the castle chapel, which was destroyed in 1901. After her death, the castle served as a hunting lodge, as well as a venue for larger events.
Moritz of Saxony, Johann VI of Anhalt-Zerbst, and Johann Georg II of Anhalt-Dessau were among the house guests at this time. During the
Thirty Years' War, the castle was occupied first by Swedish and later by imperial troops but escaped looting and destruction. As a result of the
Great Northern War, the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf suffered a defeat in 1713 and the possessions in the
Duchy of Schleswig were completely annexed by the Danish royal house. Only the territories in the
Duchy of Holstein remained in Gottorf's possession. The ducal family, previously residing in
Kiel Castle, experienced a decline in influence. A few years later, the duchy was integrated into the Russian Tsarist dynasty through a personal union with Peter III. Johanna Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf, who was the mother of
Catherine the Great, traveled to
Russia as the Countess of Reinbek, intending to spend her old age at the palace. However, the palace no longer played an important role as a courtly residence. While repairs were made to the bailiffs' residence, which remained operational, the building itself became outdated and was no longer modernized.
Royal Danish dominion In 1773, as a result of the
Treaty of Tsarskoye Selo, the castle became Danish property. While the castle remained an official residence, there was a significant change in personnel. Officials who formerly served under the ducal administration and in Russian service now became employees of the
Danish royal family. However, visits by the royal family became infrequent, and the castle became essentially an administrative building rather than a residence. Reinbek Castle had deteriorated and required repairs by the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Around 1776, J. A. Richter conducted minor repairs. However, due to constant costs and repairs, the castle's suitability as an administrative seat was questioned, and there were discussions about demolishing it. The Danish Chamber of Pensions, the financial authority responsible for the castle, even suggested constructing a new building using the materials from the demolition. The potential demolition plans were not limited to Reinbek Castle alone. During the consolidation of the Danish state, several castles in
Schleswig-Holstein came under the ownership of the Danish royal family and were demolished for political and economic reasons. This included the destruction of
Reinfeld,
Trittau, and
Ahrensbök castles. In 1818, a government architect named Christian Frederik Hansen provided an expert opinion that helped to stop the planned demolition of Reinbek Castle. However, plans for a reconstruction by Friedrich Christian Heylmann, which aimed to shorten and visually align the side wings of the castle, were not pursued further, and the castle remained in its original state.
From the Prussian period to the 20th century Following the
German-Danish War and the subsequent
German War, the
Duchy of Holstein came under Prussian control in 1866. The Reinbek office was integrated into the Prussian district of Stormarn, and the castle briefly served as the seat for the district administrator. However, in 1873, the office was relocated to
Wandsbek, and the castle was handed over to the Prussian tax authorities. They auctioned off the property in 1874. It was purchased by the Specht family for 25,000
thalers, but they sold it shortly thereafter. The new owners remodeled and transformed the castle into a hotel, disregarding its historical structure. The castle functioned as a hotel until the end of the
First World War. Margarete von Patow purchased the castle from the Specht family in 1919 and transformed it into the Pniel Christian vacation home. After twenty years, the baroness sold the castle once again, and the new owner became the city of
Hamburg. The
Reichsinstitut für Forstwirtschaft (Reich Institute for Forestry), later known as the
Bundesforschungsanstalt für Forst- und Holzwirtschaft (Federal Research Institute for Forestry and Timber), was housed in the castle from 1939. Remarkably, the castle remained undamaged during the
Second World War and served as a temporary shelter for refugees from the German eastern territories in the post-war period. The institute gradually relocated from Reinbek over the second half of the 20th century, resulting in the castle being put up for sale for the third time. In 1972, the district of
Stormarn and the town of Reinbek jointly purchased the building. Under the guidance of Horst von Bassewitz, the castle underwent a comprehensive restoration from 1977 to 1987, aiming to restore it to its condition from the first half of the 17th century. Since then, the castle has been available for public use and serves as a cultural and historical site. The floor area of the building in its largest extension is 51×36 meters, the courtyard is 26 meters wide. The castle consists of two habitable floors, along with a basement and a high attic. Its roof construction is distinctive: the gable roof, covered with
slate, slopes down to a lower level on the north and east wings, creating the illusion of a one-and-a-half-story structure in those areas. The stair tower in the courtyard, which features an elegantly designed openwork hood, was once the only connection between the floors. Additional stair towers were later added to the south wing during the early 17th century under Duchess Augusta. The castle follows the style of the Dutch Renaissance, which Duke Adolf became familiar with during his frequent local travels. It is made of red brick
masonry, and the
facades have horizontal sandstone bands. The window frames are also made of sandstone and feature stone crosses, with wooden shutters on the sides. One unique architectural feature in this region is the courtyard's arcade, which is made up of Tuscan columns and connects the rooms of the north and east wings on the first floor. Reinbek Castle was built before
Husum Castle. Both castles were built by Duke Adolf from 1577 to 1582, with the help of Dutch craftsmen. They share a modern three-winged layout and are made of brick with decorative sandstone elements. While Reinbek Castle has a relatively plain design, Husum Castle was designed to be more grand and symmetrical, featuring multiple towers. Husum Castle, on the contrary, underwent significant reconstruction work that simplified its structure. As a result, Reinbek Castle now represents the more original state of a Renaissance building than Husum Castle. Reinbek Castle also served as a model for the castle in neighboring
Trittau, which was also commissioned by Duke Adolf in 1581.The Nordic Renaissance design of Trittau Castle, which was built as the replacement for a medieval moated castle, resembles to the design of Reinbek. It also has a stair tower in the courtyard corner. The castle in Trittau was demolished at the end of the 18th century.
Conversions and restoration During the 19th century, the exterior of the palace underwent a significant transformation, resulting in profound remodeling. The eastern stair tower on the south wing was demolished, and the courtyard arcades were sealed, creating an interior corridor connecting the first-floor rooms. Further modifications included the replacement of stone window frames and cross with wooden frames, as well as the substitution of slate roofing with roof tiles, which reduced the overall height of the roof. Additionally, at the dawn of the 20th century, the castle chapel was abandoned and transformed into new rooms through the installation of partition walls. Between 1977 and 1987, extensive restoration efforts were undertaken to revert the modifications and return the castle to its original state during Duchess Augusta's era. These measures aimed to recreate the castle's historical appearance. At that time the restoration project incurred estimated costs of approximately DM 10,000,000. The restoration was financed with the help of the federal government as well as the states of
Hamburg and
Schleswig-Holstein. The Court Hall and the Ballroom above the south wing are still the largest rooms in the palace, having been built during the restoration phase. The so-called Hunting Room and the Garden Hall are also based on earlier designs. The common feature among all of the rooms is that they all have modern fixtures that support the cultural center's present uses while also being complemented with furniture that is stylistically contemporary.
Castle grounds The former farmyard The castle was built in the center of the former monastery grounds. The main building of the monastery complex was located a few steps west of the castle, but there are no visible traces of the buildings today. Simultaneously, an extensive farmyard was built, the so-called
Vorwerk, which was equipped with stables, granaries, and cattle stables and served to supply the castle residents. Today there are no buildings of these buildings either, they were demolished in the 19th century and partly replaced by new buildings. The courtyard area also had to be reduced in size when the northern railroad line of the
Berlin-Hamburg Railway was built.
Castle garden The castle sits right on the
Bille River, which has been dammed to form a mill pond. The surrounding park once served as both the kitchen garden and the pleasure garden of the palace and was already laid out under Duke Adolf. The actual pleasure garden was placed behind the main wing and consisted of nine individual planted compartments (a demarcated planting area in a
Baroque garden) connected by arcades and decorated with sandstone figures. The garden featured a pleasure house, a small bathhouse built by Duchess Augusta, and a boat for the ducal family moored in the mill pond. The garden existed until the 18th century when its main features were modestly baroque-styled. At the end of the 18th century, the Royal Chamber of Pensions authorized the leasing of parts of the garden property. The garden areas close to the castle lost their old shape due to negligent maintenance and were transformed into a landscape park in the course of the 19th century, but this was done without a plan or concept. With the restoration of the palace in the 20th century, the question of reconstructing the gardens also arose. It had to be noted that some parts of the former castle area had been built in the meantime and a railroad line ran north of the site in the meantime. A reconstruction of the
Renaissance garden seemed too costly, especially since there were no more remains to be integrated. Instead, Reinbek Castle Park was freely redesigned and separated into three parts, all of which serve public use. The garden south of the castle up to the mill pond was designed in the manner of
English landscape gardens, albeit on a small scale. A garden was laid out east of the palace, in front of the main wing which in its four-part design is reminiscent of the former formal garden, but elaborate flower planting was eliminated. To the northeast of the palace, a small botanical garden was built. == Notes ==