Schwedenturm Wagenitz

The actual castle of the von Bredows unfortunately burned down in 1945. You can still examine a small remainder of it here: the Wagenitzer Schwedenturm. The tower-like structure was the "kitchen building" of the property - at that time (in the 16th century) kitchens were mostly built free-standing because of fire protection. Today there is no more cooking here: Now there is a local museum, which can be visited by appointment. (Contact: wagenitz-im-havelland.de/service/kontakt/)

The Schwedenturm was built in 1571 and was originally a kitchen. Today there is a small museum exhibition inside. The existing, preserved farmhouses, the Swedish tower, the church, which has been preserved especially in the south-east of the village, or the perceptible edge of the village between the built-up area and the landscape, as well as the village square that can still be experienced, form an interesting and varied potential in combination.

The history of Wagenitz has been linked to the history of the von Bredow family since the 14th century. The first farmyard and a house from 1571 go back to Hartwig II von Bredow (around 1530 – 1590). During the Thirty Years' War, the estate was severely damaged and the house - which was converted into a solid building in 1587 - was destroyed. Most likely, Hans Christof von Bredow (1623 – 1691), the only survivor of the line, had the residential building rebuilt. As early as 1731, Ludwig von Bredow (1655 - 1740) built a new manor house, which from then on served as a representative family seat.
The stately home was a two-story baroque building with a hipped roof. Several half-timbered buildings flanked the sides, while the garden opened up directly in front of the house. Georg Heinrich Eduard Freiherr von Bredow (1810-1888) expanded the manor house between 1849 and 1853 and completely changed the character of the complex, even though the core of the manor house was preserved. The building was raised by a mezzanine with a row of small windows, and - modeled on Italian Renaissance villas - a tower on the east side and an orangery on the west side were added. The garden facade was upgraded and restructured as a representative side with a curved central projection.
The house was inhabited until the last days of the war. Rosa Haberzettel, the widow of Joachim Ludwig von Bredow (1867 – 1941) left Wagenitz in April 1945. The manor house then burned down completely. The exact cause of the fire can only be guessed at. In 1967, a prefabricated block of flats was erected on the site of the building. An old farm building in the immediate vicinity of the former castle survived until 1974 and was then demolished. Several new buildings were built on the estate site. The ruins of the listed "Schwedenturm" are one of the few remnants of the former aristocratic residence.