Meiningen: What will become of Landsberg Castle

2016: Meininger Monuments Foundation sells Landsberg Castle

Until 2014 the castle in Landsberg was a renowned hotel and also a popular address for weddings. Recently, however, it has had to contend with strong fluctuations in turnover, as the MDR writes. With the sale, the foundation wants to push ahead with the renovation of other historic buildings in Meiningen. After several attempts, the castle was sold to the Chinese company "New Silk Road Ltd" based in Dubai. Schloss Landsberg, with its seven suites, 13 guest rooms, the castle restaurant and the knights' hall, was to reopen as a luxury hotel as early as 2017.

2020: Fear of further speculation

Four years have now passed since the sale. Well-heeled guests from the Far East and the USA have so far failed to appear, as has the planned renovation. Instead, there is growing concern that Schloss Landsberg could become another problem property in Thuringia alongside Reinhardsbrunn. A water damage that occurred at the beginning of the year had to be taken over by the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen itself. In addition, urgent work is needed at the castle to secure the building fabric. Despite a ban on entering the castle, uninvited guests are still gaining access to the remote castle.

The town of Landsberg and the district are now asking the Ministry of Culture for help: to prevent a situation like Reinhardsbrunn, Landsberg could, according to their ideas, be taken over by the state of Thuringia or the Central German Schlösserstiftung.