Ralswiek is an old settlement site and was in feudal
possession of various reprimand shear noble families. Ralswiek is
located on Rügen Island, located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic
Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
The old mansion is
located next to the castle. The originally one-storey building was
demolished in the 19th century and rebuilt with two floors and a
neo-Renaissance gables.
In 1891 the estate was sold to the
manufacturer Hugo Sholto Graf Douglas from Aschersleben. This was from
1894 to 1896 the castle designed by the Berlin architect Gustav build
straw, the neo-Renaissance architecture follows the models of French
Renaissance castles. The rectangular building is flanked by two towers
with conical roofs. The east side of the building facing the bay. The
dome of the tower, which is located at the entrance, surmounted the two
outer towers. In the main building there is a covered patio. 1913 saw
the construction of stables designed by the architect Franz Stralsund
Juhre.
The largely preserved interiors (entrance hall, staircase,
paneling, door handles, window glass) was partially designed by the
famous Art Nouveau architect Henry van de Velde.
After the
expropriation of the Douglas family after the Second World War the
castle was used as a retirement home and later as disability and nursing
home of the German Red Cross. From 1999 to 2002 the castle was converted
into a hotel.
At the foot of the building located on the banks of
the Great Jasmund Bodden a natural stage. On this the Störtebeker
festival will be performed by the end of June to early September.
The expansive, surrounding the house Park is one of the most
spectacular gardens Rügen due to its botanical diversity. It was created
in 1810 and expanded and developed by Graf Douglas.
Apologies for
the poor translation - can anyone
help?
Schloss Ralswiek and its history
The
builder of the castle of Ralswiek, Hugo Sholto Oskar Georg Graf Douglas,
born in 1837 in Aschersleben, came from an emigrant in 1700 for
religious reasons from Scotland to Germany family. Both his grandfather
and his grandfather were Protestant clergymen. His father dealt with
mining, especially with the mining of lignite in opencast. Hugo Sholto
Douglas studied in Berlin and Heidelberg chemistry. His professional
career after graduation focused on the Kalisalz- and lignite mining. He
discovered named after him potash Douglasit and founded the "Kali and
rock salt mine Douglas Hall".
After a visit to Rügen, where he had
learned the charming landscape of the island know, the successful
industrialist decided in 1891 to purchase the goods Ralswiek to can
build a retirement home there. The new owner acquired with this
so-called Fideikommisgut also the hereditary title of count, which was
tied to the ownership of indivisible good. On the hill overlooking the
picturesque bay of the Great Jasmund Bodden, Count Douglas built his new
home for himself and his family in 1893/94. With the design of the
castle commissioned Graf Douglas Berlin architects and building officer
G. Straw (1846-1904). This presented a concept for a two-story turreted
magnificent style of French Renaissance chateaux of the Loire, the
obviously found the applause of the owner. At a right angle and in small
distance from the magnificent castle to build a riding hall with a gable
and four small corner turrets. Around the castle which has existed since
1810 park was after 1894 transformed into a landscaped park with many
dendrological rarities and expanded, including the large lawns that
extend from the Castle up to the Great Jasmund. The small wooden chapel
at the entrance was the Count in 1907 to build up; he had bought them at
the World Exhibition in Sweden. out - In 1909 Hugo Sholto Graf Douglas
gave his memoirs under the title "Aphorisms on the wisdom of life
considerations".
Through his career of Graf learned at the end of the
19th century the Belgian interior designer Henry van de Velde
(1863-1957), who is known for his artistic work in Art Nouveau style
throughout Europe. Together they planned the reconstruction of some
parts of the castle. Henry van de Velde provided the templates for the
elaborate paneling with gilded ornaments in the entrance area, the
design of the large entrance hall with magnificent fireplace and the
representative staircase to the upper floor, the Salon (today library),
large living room with the paneling and the incorporated therein
buffets, the wall lights as well as the elegant brass door handles in
modern van de Velde room and the beautiful stained glass windows in the
hall of the upper floor. Furthermore, derived from him the design for
the connecting building between the castle and riding home. However died
Graf Douglas 1912 at his 75th birthday and was buried in Ralswiek near
the mansion. Now it was the task of his son Angus, to deal with the
design draft. Implementation of the Van de Velde designs inside the
house and the construction of the connecting tract between houses
1913-14 headed the Stralsund Baumeister Franz Juhre.
At Schloss
Ralswiek among others lingered great personalities of German history as
Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm II, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.
They were enthusiastic about the castle and park.
Until expropriation
in 1946 the estate was owned by the Douglas family. After the land
reform, the castle was initially used as a homeless shelter, later it
housed many years a retirement home. To create more space for the
patient, the late 1950s were fed false ceilings in the former stables.
Until the 90s, the German Red Cross ran a home for the disabled here.
After four years of vacancy the Kurimmobilien Raulff OHG acquired the
ramshackle building. Between 2000 and 2002 extensive renovation and
restoration interventions. Placed great value family Raulff to receive
all details of the interior from the period around 1914. That van de
Velde gave the designs for the representative rooms in the castle, had
hitherto hardly known, since these valuable works not yet mentioned in
the relevant literature had been. Only with the restoration of the
castle and its reconstruction on Schlosshotel this fact came to light.
Now the public has access to these artistic particularly valuable
interiors from the period of Art Nouveau. The window from the time it
was built are preserved in their original wood color. The roof was
covered with slate. At the opening ceremony for the Schlosshotel in
March 2002 the grandson Count Hugo Sholtos, Earl Angus Douglas and his
son, Archibald Angus, were present as guests of honour. Until his death
in 2007 Angus Douglas kept close contact to our home and was thrilled
that it is family Raulff managed to have formed from this fairytale
property hotel for culture vultures.
Since 2003 Schloss Ralswiek is
official branch of the registry office Bergen auf Rügen. Every year
there are about 150 marriage ceremonies here. Every year in February
invite the wedding planner of the house interested newlyweds a the
two-day wedding gala. The traditional Turmblasen always takes place at
Christmas time. 2009 was the Castle Park correspondence project BUGA and
was attended by many guests. On the shore below the castle place every
year from mid-June to early September, the festival are on the beautiful
nature stage at the Great Jasmund place that they can watch as a
spectator on site or from the castle terrace.
The 1,000-year Ralswiek
During the Ranen (9th to 12th century.) Was Ralswiek one of the largest
Slavic settlements on the entire German Baltic coast and therefore a
very important Seehandelsplatz. Trade relations ranged time up in the
Orient, such that the recovered during excavations in 1974 and 2000,
consisting of gold and silver coins dirham treasure proves. In further
excavations in the area four to 13 meters were long and 3 meters wide
Slavonic oak boats found. After Christianization was Ralswiek TafelGUT
the Bishop of Roskilde. End of the 15th century it came into the
landlord's possession. With interruptions, the estate belonged to 1891
the Barnekow family that it was sold to Count Douglas, who then changed
the village fundamentally. The old thatched farm workers cottages were
demolished and in their place brick houses. Also the location of the
15th century by the bay mansion fell pickaxe victim; It was partially
rebuilt. Above the old estate, the wealthy Count created a befitting
place to live, where you spend the night today.
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