Dear CryptoCastle forum community!
The CryptoCastle is not only an abstract concept for creating and fostering a long-term hub for blockchain and crypto enthusiasts, but also a physical place, a unique piece of real estate property. As such, it is worth shedding some light on the real estate property itself, namely, the Castle. A more detailed breakdown of the real estate features pertaining to the Castle property has already been posted in the forum. Building on that, we also believe that a deeper dive into the historical background of the CryptoCastle would be of benefit to both past and prospective visitors alike in order to gain a deeper contextual understanding of the past.
The Castle’s original name was Schloss Burgscheidungen (in English, Castle Burgscheidungen). It was built more than 500 years ago and is one of the best-preserved and most remarkable Baroque secular buildings in the Thuringian and Saxon-Anhalt region. It is alleged that the Schloss Burgscheidungen was the official castle or royal seat of the Thuringian Empire in the 6th century.
The castle was built in the Carolingian period. In a register of the tithes of the Hersfeld
monastery drawn up between 881 and 899, Scheidungen was mentioned in a document as
the tithe-paying village of Scidinge in the Friesenfeld.
In his “History of the Saxons”, written in the 960s, the Saxon historian Widukind von Corvey states that the Thuringians under their king Herminafried were crushed by the Franks in a battle “in a castle called Scithingi, which lies above a river called Unstrut”. This place name appears here for the first time in the written sources, more than 400 years after the events. There is an almost contemporary source on the fall of the Thuringian kingdom in the Decem libri historiarum written by Gregory of Tours in the late 6th century. In it, the decisive battle, which took place in 531 A.D., is generally located on the Unstrut without specifying the place. Widukind presumably wanted to localise this information more precisely and associated this news with an important castle on the Unstrut which he undoubtedly knew.
- In 1043, Emperor Henry III gave it to his wife Agnes of Poitou
- In 1069, she in turn gave Scheidungen Castle to the bishopric of Bamberg, which from
then until 1803 continued to enfeoff various noble families with it as suzerain. - From 1128 to 1667, the Scheidingen ministerial family of the same name had its ancestral
seat there. - In 1612 and 1625, the von Hoym brothers received confirmation from Prince Johann Georg
and Christian I of Anhalt respectively of their claim to Burgscheidungen. - Schulenburg family in 1722, who then had the castle remodelled into a Baroque palace by
the Leipzig master builder David Schatz between 1724 and 1729. - In 1946, Burgscheidungen Castle was given to the FDGB as a recreation centre.
- From 1955 to 1990, the castle was home to the “Otto Nuschke” central training centre of
the CDU of the GDR. - The castle has been privately owned again since 2008.
- The castle served as a backdrop for the 2015 German film comedy Der Nanny.
The Castle has also a historical connection to the literary sphere. From 1760 to 1761, the Leipzig court master, and later tax collector, Christian Felix Weisse, stayed at the Castle where he wrote the several literary pieces in different genres. The tragedies “Crispus”, “Mustapha und Zeangir”, and “Rosamunde”; the comedies “Die Haushälterin”, “Der Misstrauische gegen sich selbst”, and “Neue Weiberschule”; as well as a translation of the “Tyrtäos” and “Amazonenlieder”.
During the 18th century, a beautiful collection of stone sculptures, created by Joseph BlĂĽhme from Altenburg, were added to the Castle property. The said stone figures display mythical creatures, gods and goddesses.
Since 1815, the Castle adopted the function of a thriving meeting point for individuals from the scientific community and travelers.
The history of this Castle has already been written. Your participation will shape its future!
// CryptoCastle Team
