n the area around Mengelsdorf, two kilometers from Reichenbach between Löbau and Görlitz, Slavs settled as early as the 6th century. The Waldhufendorf once belonged to the Burgward Reichenbach. A document from 1387 shows the first documented owner to be Ramphold von Gersdorff, who owned the Reichenbach and Mengelsdorf estates and died in the year mentioned. In the years that followed, the von Gersdorff family were also known to own the property, as were the von Warnsdorf family and the von Loeben family. Among other things, Wolf Christian von Loeben built the Löbensmüh farm as a widow's residence for his wife and had a school built. In 1741 a fire destroyed Mengelsdorf Palace, which was soon rebuilt as a baroque mansion. The building still stands behind the 19th-century castle. A new era dawned when the manor passed to Georgine Louise Dorothea Hüpeden and Leuthold von Kurowski in 1859. Mrs. Hüpeden had a two-story L-shaped wing built around 1860 based on the English Tudor style of the 16th century. Its front faces the garden in front of it. An octagonal tower marks the west corner. On the east side, two corner towers with battlements flank a wide corner projection. A central avant-corps adorned with small turrets and battlements rises up in the center. In front of it is an arbor on the ground floor. In this way, Mengelsdorf Palace follows the typical Tudor style of construction: polygonal turrets, bay windows and battlements. With him they wanted to realize a romantic medieval dream. The inside of Mengelsdorf Castle is also elaborately designed. From the garden you enter through the portal a wood-panelled entrance hall that extends over both floors. A gallery is provided with a wooden parapet. There are only a few steps to the hallway, which is joined to the side of the stairwell. Stucco ceilings decorate some rooms. After the Second World War, the castle served as a wounded hospital. Since armistice negotiations were taking place in Mengelsdorf Castle at the end of the war, an explosion could be prevented. After the manor was dissolved, a kindergarten initially moved into the premises on the east side of the castle, later it served as a retirement and nursing home. Today the "Caritasheim St. Hedwig" is located in the castle - a social therapy home. The castle is surrounded by a landscape park from around 1830.
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