Top 15 Castles in Vorpommern-Rügen

The Pansevitz Castle ruin is a dilapidated manor house, completed in 1597. After World War II, during which it suffered virtually no damage, it was largely used by the local population as a source of building materials.

Schloss Ralswiek is one of the most striking buildings on the island of Rügen. It combines historical architecture with a picturesque location directly on the Großer Jasmunder Bodden. Particularly worth seeing is the magnificent interior, including a design (especially the hall and staircase) by the famous Art Nouveau artist Henry van de Velde.

From there to MV de: The only preserved structure of its kind on the island of Rügen, with a beautiful, walkable rampart. The complex was founded in 1170 by Granza von Platen as the family's ancestral castle. The fieldstone foundations of the manor house were built before 1500. The moat and 5 m high and 6 m wide circular wall were built before 1600 as a "defensive wall." In the 17th century, the two-story manor house was built on the old foundations. In the 18th century, the octagonal upper story of the tower with its cap and the wide, south-facing projections were added. In 1910, the North German Seed Breeding AG "Nordsaat" was founded by Karl von Schultz. This seed breeding station existed until the end of World War II. In 1945, the family was expropriated as part of the land reform. During the GDR era, the manor house was initially inhabited by refugees and later used as a kindergarten and administrative building for the "People's Own Estate." In 1991, the estate was repurchased from the Treuhand (trusteeship) by the Schleswig-Holstein-based "Nordsaat GmbH." The manor house was subsequently renovated as a residential and administrative building.

The well-maintained grounds are part of the "Nordsaat Agrar GmbH" estate. The farm manager lives in the attractive building. Unique to all of Rügen: it features a moat with a circular rampart. No wonder, given that the current manor house was built in the 17th century on the foundations of a 15th-century castle. The property has had a typical history, including expropriation by the Soviet Army, nationalization during the GDR era, and reacquisition by Nordsaat in 1991.

The Libnitz manor house is for sale, and anyone with more than 3 million euros will be able to call themselves the "owner of the castle" in the future. Unfortunately, the surrounding buildings are not in good condition. The farm buildings, some of which look dilapidated, are used for agriculture and livestock farming and do not do the manor house justice.

A large part of the tower of the former estate is still standing; it has been renovated, is accessible via a spiral staircase, and serves as a small observation tower, offering a beautiful view over Pansevitz Palace Park. Otherwise, only the foundations remain, but I really like the atmosphere here.

The Pansevitz castle ruins are a former manor house that is freely accessible. The ruins are secured and can therefore be visited without any problems. The castle park is adjacent to the ruins and has also been used as a forest cemetery since 2006. There are sufficient parking spaces available.

The manor house in Libnitz was built in the first half of the 19th century. The builder was Fritz Alfred Meyer, son of Selma Schichau, whose father founded the Schichau works in Elbing in October 1837. Fritz Alfred Meyer was married to Friderike Sarnow. Together they bore the family name Meyer-Sarnow. The Meyer-Sarnow family managed the estate until the end of World War II in 1945. Before the arrival of the Red Army, the family fled to the West. After the expropriation, the building and the usable space became municipal property and several rental apartments were set up in the house. In 2000, the municipality sold the property to private investors, who carried out extensive renovations on the house from 2001 to 2003 in order to use it for tourist purposes.