From kitchen garden to park

In earlier times, the castle park served less as a place of leisure and more as a means of service to the castle's inhabitants. Vegetables and fruit were cultivated here; there may also have been a perennial garden, but certainly a bleaching ground where laundry was laid out to dry. From the 18th century onward, the garden was gradually transformed into a landscape park. Today, mature trees dominate the landscape: mighty lindens, oaks, and birches stand throughout the park. Where gaps existed, they were filled during the reconstruction with specimen trees such as copper beeches, pyramidal beeches, and dawn redwoods. In 2001, a large grove of trees was created by Celina von Thüngen-Reichenbach. Two circular paths lead through the park, past modern sculptures by the sculptor Janine von Thüngen-Reichenbach. The "long pond" meanders through our castle park. A moat surrounds the island on which the predecessor of the present castle once stood. In the past, blocks of ice were sawn here in winter for the adjacent, still-existing ice cellar, which then served as a spacious refrigerator for game and beer until the following winter – and can be visited. Today, the park is divided into three areas: the "pleasure ground" directly in front of the large terraces, the sheep pasture with its transition to the open fields, and the large orchard on the east side, which is being gradually expanded with heritage fruit tree varieties. The fruit from the trees is processed in our kitchen in autumn or pressed into juice. The sheep pasture and orchard are not mowed but serve as a source of nectar for insects. Our small flock of Pomeranian Rough-Wool sheep, an endangered native breed, takes care of these areas and the hedgerow.

On the west side, between the castle and the former manor house, runs the old Hamburg postal road. Starting at the castle are the remains of an old chestnut avenue. Many of our wedding couples have planted THEIR tree here, so that today the avenue leads through the meadows and fields to the nearby forest, serving as a wedding avenue.