Schloss Tornow, manor house

The Thirty Years’ War left all the farms in a desolate state. Jakob Siegismund von Holtzendorff was the owner of Tornow at the time (1687).

In 1772, the von Holtzendorff family built the manor house in an understated baroque style. The house had seven axis, a mansard roof and a triaxial central risalit.

Friedrich Lindenberg bought the feudal estate from the Royal Major von Holtzendorff on June 18, 1842. On the occasion of his granddaughter Ottilie Lindenberg marrying the farmer Emil Schultz in the late 19th century, a single-storey banqueting hall decorated with stucco and hunting images was added. Schinkel’s student Friedrich Hitzig extended the plastered two-storey building in the mid-19th century: Three more axes and a stair tower were added at the eastern gable.

The Tornow property was held by the Linderberg-Schultz family from 1842 to 1945. The family extended the structure considerably and established a horse breeding business that was well-known and appreciated even beyond the local region. They were very successful at breeding noble, strong-boned warmbloods and received state awards and other forms of honourable recognition. Fritz Schultz founded the well-known riding club Tornower Reitverein in 1924. He took part in countless tournaments and trained many people in handling horses. For a while, the horse was even used as a symbol to represent Tornow. An imposing barn, a remarkable ice cellar, a smaller stable and a big stable building are therefore also part of the estate.

The Schultz family was dispossessed after 1945. Structural changes were implemented as refugees lived in the castle thereafter. These have meanwhile been removed and the original condition has been restored. Remaining stucco and plaster elements are indicative of the former representative character of the house. Some original elements, such as baroque doors and wooden floors have been preserved into the present day. The historic windows that still exist date back to different epochs of style.

In the GDR era, Tornow Castle was used for communal purposes. It was home, for example, to a kindergarten, a doctor’s office and apartments.

The castle has been privately owned since 1997.

Year of construction: 1772

Built for: von Holtzendorff family

Listed building: Since 1993

Type of use: Private