Schloss Rossla

Südharz, Germany, Germany

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Schloss Rossla in Südharz, Germany, originated as a medieval water castle first mentioned in 996 by Emperor Otto III, who gifted the area to a monastery, with early lords like Dietmar von Rossla noted from 1119 and ownership passing through families such as Northeim, Rothenburg, Beichlingen, and Hohnstein before reaching the Counts of Stolberg in 1341.

Count Botho von Stolberg began reconstructions around 1420, followed by major Baroque renovations in 1766 due to decay and a neoclassical east wing addition in 1826, surrounding a courtyard with a preserved bergfried tower amid a former moat and an English-style park featuring rare trees.

Serving as the Stolberg-Roßla princes' residence until their 1945 expropriation—housing art treasures and a 30,000-volume library—it later functioned as a WWII V-2 storage site, stood vacant post-reunification, and now operates as a multigenerational house, cultural center, restaurant, daycare, and wedding venue.