Ehrenstein Castle: reopening after the devastating fire!

Ehrenstein Castle: reopening after the devastating fire!

Ohrdruf, Deutschland - Schloss Ehrenstein in Ohrdruf fought himself back into the hearts of the citizens after years of renovation and a terrible fire. On July 13, 2025, visiting this valuable Renaissance building was on the plan to get to know the museum peculiarities better. The fire, which broke out on November 26, 2013, had badly damaged the castle, parts of the equipment and valuable exhibits were lost. Despite this major challenge, the city of Ohrdruf, together with committed citizens, has campaigned for the preservation of the castle and launched numerous renovation measures. A highlight was the reopening after eight long years of reconstruction on June 8, 2022.

The exciting visit began on a quiet Thursday when the historical film was shown on the top floor of the third floor of the castle. An impressive representation of the development of the location let the visitors immerse yourself in the eventful history of this fascinating building. The elevator on the third floor is barrier -free, which made the visit particularly pleasant. The diverse topics of the exhibition, which also sparked numerous personal memories, were perceived as particularly interesting, including the installation "Mission World Economy". There were many multi -layered perspectives to discover.

insight into history

Schloss Ehrenstein was built by Count Georg II from 1550 and has to tell a variety of stories, as the Wikipedia reported. To the present day, the importance of the castle for Ohrdruf is compared to that of the Duke-Anna-Amalia library for Weimar. Before the fire, the use of the castle was severely impaired as a sight and wedding room. But the hope of a comprehensive restoration of the cultural monument lives on.

During the tour of the museum, the rooms showed themselves in the simple but appealing design - perfectly tailored to the museum presentation. The exhibition "As a dinosaurs swam as a dinosaur" in the lower castle area was particularly fascinating. Here you could playfully deal with the history of the region. The exhibited dolls were also impressed by the visitors, after all, there was a direct reference to training as a toy designer, which also enhanced the whole thing. Lingering in the exhibition area for Johann Sebastian Bach to hear sound examples rounded off the positive experience.

reconstruction and civic engagement

The reconstruction was necessary after the devastating fire, triggered by a spark in the roof structure, destroyed large parts of the country as well as the city library and the exhibition. Over 100 firefighters fought against the flames, who were pressing two wings of the castle within two hours. However, thanks to a new steel structure, the tower of the castle could be preserved, which is considered a stroke of luck. With every step that the city took towards the preservation of the castle, the citizen participation and the commitment increased, which enabled the reconstruction of the impressive building, as was recorded in the article by monuments. In summary, it can be said that after his restoration, Schloss Ehrenstein shines as a clearly structured, clear and not overloaded museum. The positive experience with the museum's fund when leaving the castle reflected the joy and anticipation of the visitors to immerse yourself once more in the history of this remarkable heritage and to be part of his sequel.