Hubertusstock hunting lodge

Hubertusstock hunting lodge (Jagdschloss Hubertusstock) is a historic building on the northern shore of the Werbellinsee in the Schorfheide region of Brandenburg, Germany. It was built between 1847 and 1849 by order of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia in a Bavarian or Swiss country-house style, in honour of his wife, Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria. The name derives from the legend that the king thrust his hunting staff into the ground and declared that a lodge should be built there; the site was marked by the Hubertusstein, a stone bearing a stag's head, and the lodge was named after Saint Hubertus, patron saint of hunting, and the king's hunting staff. Originally a modest hunting house, it became known as a Jagdschloss (hunting palace) because of its royal owner and the surrounding hunting grounds. From 1869, representative hunts were held there for high-ranking guests. In 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered a railway connection, and the Kaiserbahnhof Joachimsthal was established about 10 km away. Until the fall of the monarchy in 1918, the lodge belonged to the Hohenzollern family; it then passed briefly to national ownership, then to the crown estate administration, and in 1926 to the Prussian state. During the Weimar Republic, Reich Presidents Friedrich Ebert and Paul von Hindenburg used it as a base for hunting trips. After Hindenburg's death, Adolf Hitler made it available to Hans Heinrich Lammers, head of the Reich Chancellery, as a weekend house, and formally gifted it to him in 1944. After World War II, the lodge became state property in the GDR and served as a country residence for the Minister-President of Brandenburg. From 1952 to 1971 it was used by the Ministry of the Interior as a rest home for senior officials. A reconstruction on the old foundations, completed in 1973, served as a government guest house until the end of the GDR. Numerous meetings with foreign politicians took place there, including the December 1981 meeting between Erich Honecker and West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. After German reunification in 1990, the site was no longer used by the state and was offered for sale. After several changes of ownership, in 1997 the present Ringhotel/Tagungszentrum der Wirtschaft was built on the site under the name Kommunikationszentrum des Bildungswerkes der Wirtschaft in Berlin und Brandenburg e.V. (bbw). Since 1 January 2015, the house, four associated bungalows and the long-vacant swimming hall have belonged to the neighbouring Ringhotel Schorfheide/Tagungszentrum der Wirtschaft. The conference centre, which had been located on the Hubertusstock site since the mid-1990s, also operates the lodge and the forest villas as a hotel. The bungalows have been renovated and modernised, offering 18 guest rooms, with additional rooms in the upper floor of the hunting lodge. Today the Jagdschloss Hubertusstock is used as an event location for family celebrations and conferences, and can be visited inside only by prior written arrangement.

The hunting lodge Hubertusstock was built from 1847 to 1849 on the orders of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, in a Bavarian or Swiss country-house style, in honour of his wife Elisabeth Ludovika, daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria. It is located on the northern shore of the Werbellinsee at the edge of the Schorfheide, a landscape long prized as a hunting ground by Brandenburg rulers. The simple building was called a Jagdschloss (hunting palace) because of its royal owner and the extensive hunting preserve. It served as accommodation for court hunting parties. In the absence of the residents, the estate was managed by court officials, servants and craftsmen. Interested visitors could view the building for an entrance fee of 25 pfennig. From 1869, representative hunts were held and high-ranking guests were invited. In 1898, by imperial order, the lodge received a railway connection: the Kaiserbahnhof Joachimsthal, about 10 km away, was established as a separate stop on the railway line. Together with the economic building and surrounding forests, the hunting house belonged to the Prussian State Forests. Until the fall of the monarchy in the November Revolution of 1918, the hunting house was owned by the Prussian ruling family, the Hohenzollerns. With the revolution, Hubertusstock initially became national property for a short time. It then fell to the crown estate administration of the formerly reigning royal house. In 1926, Hubertusstock was transferred to the Prussian state. During the Weimar Republic, Reich Presidents Friedrich Ebert and Paul von Hindenburg used the building as quarters during their hunting trips in the Schorfheide. The game hunted included mainly roe deer and red deer. After Hindenburg's death, Adolf Hitler made the hunting house available to the head of the Reich Chancellery, Hans Heinrich Lammers, as a weekend house and finally endowed it to him in 1944. After World War II, with the founding of the GDR, the hunting house became state property and was used by the state of Brandenburg as a country seat of the Minister-President. Maintenance and care were carried out by the responsible chief forester of the Grimnitz forestry office. After the dissolution of the states in the GDR, in 1952 the Ministry of the Interior took over the building complex and used it until 1971 as a rest home for senior officials. The reconstruction completed in 1973 on the old foundations served as a government guest house until the end of the GDR. The old separate economic building was also demolished. In its place, along a ring road about 400 metres long, four two-storey guest bungalows with flat roofs were built, as well as a multi-purpose building with swimming pool, sauna, sports rooms and shooting range. Outside the guest area and practically invisible to guests due to green spaces, a new economic area was created from several buildings: kitchen, garage yard/message centre, heating/emergency power generator, accommodation building with separate areas for permanent, guard and MfS personnel. In the 1980s, the site was normally operated by about 10 civilian employees under the command of a lieutenant colonel of the NVA (kitchen and cleaning staff), six non-commissioned officers of the main communications centre of the Ministry of National Defence (telecommunications support, also for the Schorfheide military forestry operation), a warrant officer, a non-commissioned officer and five soldiers (drivers and technical staff, especially heating). In addition, under the command of a subaltern officer, about 30 non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the NVA guard regiment "Hugo Eberlein" rotated every two to four weeks to protect the entire site including the two boathouses on the Werbellinsee. During protocol events and occupancies, the functions of the permanent and guard personnel were more or less completely taken over by members of the Ministry for State Security, graded according to the protection needs of the guests. In the following years, numerous meetings with foreign politicians took place in Hubertusstock. Among others, in December 1981 Erich Honecker, Chairman of the State Council of the GDR, and the then Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt met here. After German reunification in 1990, Hubertusstock was no longer used by the state and was for sale for several years. After the sale there were several changes of ownership. Thus in 1997, in a new building on the site, today's Ringhotel/Tagungszentrum der Wirtschaft was created under the name Kommunikationszentrum des Bildungswerkes der Wirtschaft in Berlin und Brandenburg e.V., abbreviated bbw. In addition, for several years a Berlin hotel chain, which wanted to operate a large hotel on the site in another new building but left only an unfinished investment ruin, used the house as a hotel garni. Since 1 January 2015, the house, the four associated bungalows and the long-vacant swimming hall have belonged to the neighbouring Ringhotel Schorfheide/Tagungszentrum der Wirtschaft für Berlin und Brandenburg. The conference centre, which had already been located on the Hubertusstock site since the mid-1990s, also operates the palace and the forest villas as a hotel. The bungalows have been renovated and modernised, offering 18 guest rooms. Further guest rooms were created on the upper floor of the hunting house. The unfinished investment ruin that stood opposite the Ringhotel/Tagungszentrum der Wirtschaft for over 15 years was [text cuts off].

• 2015

  On 1 January, the house, four bungalows and swimming hall become part of Ringhotel Schorfheide/Tagungszentrum der Wirtschaft.

• 1997

  Ringhotel/Tagungszentrum der Wirtschaft built on the site as Kommunikationszentrum des Bildungswerkes der Wirtschaft (bbw).

• 1990

  After reunification, the site is no longer used by the state and is offered for sale.

• 1981

  Erich Honecker and Helmut Schmidt meet at Hubertusstock in December.

• 1973

  Reconstruction on old foundations completed; serves as government guest house.

• 1952

  Ministry of the Interior takes over the complex and uses it as a rest home until 1971.

• 1944

  Adolf Hitler formally gifts the lodge to Hans Heinrich Lammers.

• 1926

  Hubertusstock transferred to the Prussian state.

• 1918

  Monarchy falls; lodge briefly becomes national property, then passes to crown estate administration.

• 1898

  Kaiserbahnhof Joachimsthal established as a separate railway stop about 10 km away.

• 1869

  Representative hunts for high-ranking guests begin.

• 1849

  Construction completed; the lodge is named Hubertusstock.

• 1847

  Construction of the hunting lodge begins by order of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.

A historic hunting lodge and event venue within a modern hotel and conference centre, offering meetings and celebrations in harmony with nature in the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve.

• Jagdschloss Hubertusstock event location

  Historic hunting lodge used for family celebrations and conferences; interior visits by prior written arrangement.

• Hubertuszimmer conference room

  Conference room in the Jagdschloss Hubertusstock.

• Kaminzimmer banquet room

  Banquet room in the Jagdschloss Hubertusstock.

• Jagdkeller banquet room

  Banquet room in the Jagdschloss Hubertusstock.

• Waldresort Werbellinsee

  Hotel and conference centre with modern seminar rooms on a 2.6-hectare site.

1. 1Hotel für Seminare & Events | Ringhotel Schorfheide | Tagungszentrum der Wirtschafttagungs-zentrum.de
2. 2Eventlocation für Feiern & Tagungen | Ringhotel Schorfheide | Tagungszentrum der Wirtschafttagungs-zentrum.de
3. 3Hubertusstock hunting lodge - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Jagdschloß Hubertusstock - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org