A knight Lupoldus von Berge was mentioned in a document as early as the 12th century. In 1196, Burchard and Hartmann von Creuzburg were named as landlords in Berka before Hainich and Bischofroda. These aristocrats, also known as Burgmanns of the Thuringian Landgraves, dominated the town for over four centuries and are considered to be the builders of a moated castle on the western edge of the town, the forerunner of today's castle. In 1351 the von Creuzburg family received a renewed fiefdom letter for Berka and Bischofroda. Several branches of the family developed, of which the Bischofroda line was the most significant.
After the heavy looting and destruction in the Thirty Years' War and as a result of a major fire in 1650, only the wide moat (with an inflow from the Lauterbach) and the foundation walls of the moated castle remained. The then owner Friedrich Albrecht von Creuzburg was badly affected by these events and died in 1654.
New building as a country palace
The von Döhlen family, already represented by an estate in the village, followed as heirs. They caused a gradual reconstruction in the style of a country castle.
The next owner was Zacharias Prueschenck von Lindenhofen, who was the son-in-law of the aforementioned knight Friedrich Albrecht von Creuzburg. Prueschenck was one of the wealthiest administrative officials in the Duchy of Saxony-Eisenach and had a modern manor built on the site of the destroyed outer bailey. The interior of the castle was rebuilt several times in the 18th century.
Conversion as a classicist country house
After 1800, the Eisenach textile manufacturer family Eichel bought the property, thereby also acquiring the barons' rights. The new owners were very wealthy and arranged for the renovation to be carried out in the classical style. The Eichelsche Gut in Berka in front of the Hainich grew to a size of around 740 hectares through the purchase of additional goods and land, of which around 300 hectares were ceded in 1934 for the construction of a military training area on the Künkel, which is now part of the core zone of the Hainich National Park.
The large landowners were expropriated without compensation through the land reform in the Soviet occupation zone in 1945, and the castle became an emergency shelter for refugee families. In the late 20th century, lack of use led to further building losses; the depots and stables were replaced by the LPG with modern farm buildings on the outskirts.
During the GDR era, the palace complex was already being used by the community; the community administration was located here. Residential houses were built on the spacious estate to the east.
* Source Wikipedia
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