Schloss Ahrensburg

Geschichte

Schloss Ahrensburg is a former Herrenhaus and is today referred to as a Schloss. It is located in Ahrensburg in southern Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, not far from the city of Hamburg.HistoryPrevious structuresIn the 13th century, there was a mansion with a moat and defensive towers known as Burg Arnesvelde, about three kilometers south of today's Schloss Ahrensburg. In 1327, the fortified mansion was owned by the church. During the Reformation the property came into the hands of the Danish King Frederick II, and in March 1567 Arnesvelde was transferred to Daniel Rantzau as compensation for work done and debts the king had run up. After Rantzau's death in 1569 during the Siege of Varberg his brother took over the mansion. He tore down parts of the castle and started building what was to become today's Schloss Ahrensburg.Current structureThe original structure on the island in the artificial pond/moat was built after 1585 at the initiative of Peter Rantzau, of the. Even at that time, the moat only served artistic rather than defensive purposes.Ahrensburg was a representative of the short-lived Mehrfachhaus-type of Renaissance mansion, in which a rectangular building was doubled (Wahlstorf) or trebled (Ahrensburg, Schloss Glücksburg). As this type had architectural disadvantages it was soon replaced by others. The four corner turrets were not part of the original design but added only later during construction.