UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone!
  Castle Quest
  Castles In General & Medieval History
  castles in the old eastern bloc

Post New Topic  Post A Reply
profile | register | preferences | faq | search

next newest topic | next oldest topic
Author Topic:   castles in the old eastern bloc
mperks
Member
posted 11-11-99 06:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for mperks   Click Here to Email mperks     Edit/Delete Message
As I'm sure you all know there are hundreds, probably thousands, of castles in the old eastern bloc of Europe which are rotting quietly away. As communism swept through the region, the owners of most of these castles were booted out and most were turned into colleges/residential homes/precisely what they weren't intended for. My question is this: does anyone know of any good websites specifically devoted to these "lost" castles? Any information would be very gratefully received. In fact, I'd be very interested in any information on this topic at all. Thanks, Matt

Philip Davis
unregistered
posted 11-11-99 04:03 PM           Edit/Delete Message
Regular CQ contributor Znarchy has a web site about Czech castles at http://oasis.fortunecity.com/ozarks/170/iofarts.htm . This gives some insight into the wealth of very well preserved castles in the Czech Republic.
I have to take issue with some of the assumptions in your posting however.
The best way to preserve a castle may be to keep it as a museum, and there are some fine examples like this in both the East and West, but to keep a large number of castles as museum appears unrealistic. The second best thing to do with a castle is use it for something, so there is some reason to maintain it. The worst thing to do is leave it empty. The conditions in the east where actual good for the preservation of a wide range of buildings (not just the finest examples as in the west). In some privately held castles and stately homes in England private owners have allowed them to fall into ruin, or demolished the buildings outright and developments have dystroyed other buildings. The sort of use you describe for castles in the eastern block is actually quite good for preserving buildings. Because these are ill run state sector functions just enough money is spent to keep the building roofed and water resistant but not enough is given to allow for 'restorations' or 'improvements', cheaply fitted water and heating systems look very unsightly because all the pipe work is exposed, but this is exactly why they cause little damage to the fabric of the ancient building-the walls don't have these pipes IN them.
Central europe certainly has lost a great many medieval castles, many during the first world war and many more during the second, as a result of military action (Castle were turned into defensive sites and were destroyed as a result). Whilst the communist Soviet Union had it's part in the destruction some of these castles it is clearly the nationlistic empires who really lead to their destruction. I suggest that you study the subject a bit more before making assumptions as to reasons for a percieved loss of castles.
Finally castles were always built to be multifunctional and were certainly designed to be residential homes often for a large group of people (A major Lords household could amount to hundreds, of whom a number would be squires undergoing tuition to be knights)

------------------
Neurotics build castles in the air, psychotics live in them, Psychiatrists charge the rent, art therapists do the interior design and nurses clean out the garderobes!
To find out about me see www.castlesontheweb.com/members/philipdavis/index.html

wurdsmiff
unregistered
posted 11-12-99 01:16 PM           Edit/Delete Message
I have to agree with Philip , that although not always aesthetically pleasing, the use of castles for alternative uses is the best preservation tool we have. He is quite correct in stating that empty buildings decay rapidly, and the cost of upkeep is enormous. Only by utilizing the structure in some meaningful way will maximum numbers be preserved until that utopian day when economy is not vital, and they can all be preserved and displyed as they should. Until then we have to appreciate that only a few will survive in this state, and hope that not too much damage is done to the others. We should be grateful for any attempt to keep them viable, though can always look to encourage more care and attention from those using them.
As a post script, might I add that despite the excellent work of the various national bodies, the Scots, and I suspect all of the British nations, are not exactly world leaders in the preservation of castles. I could list dozens that have been demolished over the last three decades alone, due either to an economic inability to preserve them, or because the prospect of re-using the land for development was too attractive. Fortunately attitudes seem to be changing, and much more investment in renovation for other uses is evident this decade. Let us hope it continues into the millenium!

[This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 11-12-99).]

Wyntyr
Member
posted 11-22-99 06:45 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Wyntyr   Click Here to Email Wyntyr     Edit/Delete Message
I am in no way a voice of experience on the subject of castles. I have only found this site today, and I'm glad I did. I've been dreaming about owning my own castle...but if it actually happens, it will be in the distant future. In my search for websites dealing with castles, I came across this one:
http://merryrose.atlantia.sca.org/archive/1997-04apr/msg00504.html
If you check this out, notice the date. I have no information at this time about the present validity of this site.

I am interested in possible solutions for castles such as these. I've got a few ideas, but I'm not sure if they'd actually work.

Wisdom comes with knowledge, so anything you could pass on would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much!

Philip Davis
unregistered
posted 11-22-99 09:51 AM           Edit/Delete Message
A very interesting page, Wyntyr. At first glance this page seems to support the idea that castles in the eastern block were allowed to deteriorate, and to a certain extent this is true. However, when I read about leaky roofs and warped floor boards I compare this to the state of castles in the british isles where roofs and floors are completely missing, I begin to suspect the impartiality of the author of this page. It is also clear that the German govt. was not going to trust these castles to their previous private owners. The idea of strictly conditional sales does seem to be a practical solution. Personally I hope some of these castles become family homes (which was always a major part of castles) but I imagine many will become hotels, which is probably as close to living in a castle as I'll get.

To get a fairer idea of the old eastern blocks care of it's castle it would be nice to know how castles have faired in the west during the last fifty years. Does anyone have hard evidence?

------------------
Neurotics build castles in the air, psychotics live in them, Psychiatrists charge the rent, art therapists do the interior design and nurses clean out the garderobes!
To find out about me see www.castlesontheweb.com/members/philipdavis/index.html

Wyntyr
Member
posted 11-22-99 10:41 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Wyntyr   Click Here to Email Wyntyr     Edit/Delete Message
As a matter of fact, I do have some hard evidence of how castles in the west have fared. I lived in Germany for three years while my husband was in the army. We in fact, lived at the base of the hill of Frankenstein castle. There hasn't been hardly any repairs on the castle. It is simply because the govt. doesn't have the money. It is a small keep and there are other castles much bigger that might be considered a more important "fixer-upper". I'm not saying that keeps aren't important, but unless you've got the money to fix every castle in the world, there's not much you can do to perserve them all. I'd love to be able to go around Germany fixing all of the castles. I cannot do it. It's not about where the castle is...it's about who has the money. Which makes me question mperk.... was the west so much richer that each and every castle or keep is in pristine condition? No. Do you realize just how many castles are in Germany alone? Do you know how many are being actively used? Most of these have some sort of income, ie. museum, resturant, hotel, library, etc. It's not that the eastern govt. didn't like castles and wanted them to rot away...it's that they just couldn't afford to keep them up.

Philip Davis
unregistered
posted 11-22-99 02:02 PM           Edit/Delete Message
I agree with you. Indeed I'm inclined to go a little further. In the East castles continued to be used where in the West the greater wealth wasn't spent on restoration of castles but on building new buildings, which seemed more progressive and gave politicians something to boost about on the husting. (I built abrand new school sounds more impressive than I maintained the old school in the old castle)

------------------
Neurotics build castles in the air, psychotics live in them, Psychiatrists charge the rent, art therapists do the interior design and nurses clean out the garderobes!
To find out about me see www.castlesontheweb.com/members/philipdavis/index.html

wurdsmiff
unregistered
posted 11-24-99 08:18 AM           Edit/Delete Message
Quite, though the fashion in Scotland(and I emphasise fashion, since things change), is currently to restore or preserve. This is possibly brought on by an increased sense of nostalgia induced by the end of the millenium, and everyone is looking to the past. But I fear that sooner rather than later the current trend will fade away, and the development potential of freeing up the land will again come to prominence and recent valuable renovation work will be lost.

------------------

quote:
Give me the groves that lofty brave,
The storms, by Castle Gordon.

Visit my web-site at
www.castlesontheweb.com/members/wurdsmiff/castles.htm


[This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 11-24-99).]

znachy
Senior Member
posted 01-12-2000 01:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for znachy   Click Here to Email znachy     Edit/Delete Message
Ok, I would like to tell several notes about the preservation and the situation of the Czech castles in my cuontry at all. As you mentioned before, the most important problem is the lack of financial sources. So, we have many economic problems and it`s very expensive to maintain and preserve the castle ruins. It seems to me there are two ways where we can go.
1) To get money from the West Europe. The good example could be the France. We recieved a large sum of money to preserve the most endangered castles and chateaux. Now, it`s very important to follow the money transaction to prevent the money beeing stolen. It`s sad, but true :-((.
2) Another way to preserve castles is to create the small groups of castle lovers who don`t only talk but act. And it realy works.
Maybe the other way is that our goverment sponsores some preservations.
So, now I thin the situation in the former Eastern block become clearer for you.

canadab
Senior Member
posted 01-12-2000 08:14 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for canadab   Click Here to Email canadab     Edit/Delete Message
Concerning the above link mentioning the 1 german mark sale of Gaussig Castle. The sale of the structure has not yet occured. The sale will be an auction but the timing has not been established. The contents of the castle were sold by auction by Nagel Auctions in 1998. They have not yet posted any projected sale of the castle although they have already sold Osterberg, Horn, Moeckmuehl, Carlshof, and Heiligenberg castles (time span 1926- present). Their web site shows the history of their sales and the upcoming auctions:
http://www.auction.de/infos/general/HISTORY.htm

Given the nature of the sale, I think a 1 mark bid would not even get you in the door.

Brian Canada
aka Amberein du la Anair

------------------
If you can dream it, you can make it a reality.

All times are PT (US)

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Administrative Options: Close Topic | Archive/Move | Delete Topic
Post New Topic  Post A Reply
Hop to:

Contact Us | Castles on the Web

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Version 5.40
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 1999.



Castles on the WebHome
Castles on the WebIntroduction
Castles on the WebCastle Quest
Castles on the WebSite of the Day
Castles on the WebCastle Tours
Castles on the WebCastle Collections
Castles on the WebNew Sites
Castles on the WebPopular Sites
Castles on the WebPhoto Archive
Castles on the WebMiscellaneous
Castles on the WebCastles for Kids
Castles on the WebCastle Glossary
Castles on the WebPalaces & Homes
Castles on the WebMedieval Studies
Castles on the WebAccommodations
Castles on the WebTop Rated
Castles on the WebCastle Postcards
Castles on the WebHeraldry Links
Castles on the WebMyths & Legends
Castles on the WebOrganizations
Castles on the WebCastle Books
Castles on the WebAbbeys & Churches
Castles on the WebWeapons/Supplies
Castles on the WebRandom Site
Castles on the WebAdd A Castle Site
Castles on the WebAcknowledgements
Castles on the WebSearch Options
Castles on the WebPlease Help Us!
Castles on the WebPlease Link To Us
Castles on the WebContact Us

Castles on the Web Copyright 1995- | Privacy Policy