Meisdorf House

Meisdorf House around 1870

Meisdorf House (German: Schloss Meisdorf) is a schloss in the village of Meisdorf in the borough of Falkenstein in the German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, that is now used as a hotel. It was built in 1708 with a 12 hectare castle park.^[1]

History

In the second half of the 18th century Meisdorf and the nearby Falkenstein Castle came into the possession of court official and diplomat, Achatz Ferdinand of the Asseburg. As the castle was only used as a hunting lodge and the old Meisdorf residence had become too small for the needs of the lords, he built this new, more spacious, albeit simple residence in 1787, and had the existing house converted into an official's quarter. The new mansion house, whose facade faced away from the Meisdorf was linked to the village by an avenue of lime and chestnut trees, 400 paces long.

After the death of its creator, who was buried with his family in one of him in the baroque style of his time in a mausoleum hewn from solid rock in the nearby Selke valley, the house became the property of the Neindorf line of the family of Asseburgs. As this line expired in 1816 on the death of the vicar capitular, Louis Busso of the Asseburg, the lordship of Falkenstein went to the Eggenstedt-Ampfurt line.

Later, the Prussian Privy Councillor and master hunter, Count Louis Augustus became its owner and had avenues laid on both sides of the mansion towards Ballenstedt and Harzgerode. A large park and lush lawns surrounded the house in his time. In addition there was a deciduous wood around the house, through which a road to a neo-gothic sandstone mausoleum was built and another led to a Swiss Cottage on top of a hill above the house.

Close behind the buildings belonging to the house and gardens is the Selke valley.

The mill (Schlossmühle) in the grounds of the house and the family mausoleum (no. 207) are checkpoints in the Harzer Wandernadel hiking trail network.

References

1. ^ Van der Valk Parkhotel Schloss Meisdorf

Source

• Sammlung Duncker, Schloss Meisdorf (digital file)