Origins in the 10th century: A castle rampart appears on the Elbe as early as 981, and from 1325 onwards, Pretzsch was a fief of the Löser family.
Renaissance building (1571–1574): Hans Löser, Saxon hereditary marshal and godson of Martin Luther, had the present two-winged palace built on the site of the castle. Luther enjoyed hunting there.
Electress Christiane Eberhardine: From 1697 onwards, she lived in the palace, redesigned it in the Baroque style – including a magnificent park based on the French model, presumably designed by Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann – and spread her Protestant values there.
A Baroque pleasure garden from 1702, later converted into a landscaped park covering over 8 hectares.
1647–1689 Change of ownership: Sold to Wolf Christoph von Arnim, later exchanged to Elector Johann Georg III.
1829–1923: Site of a girls' orphanage under the "Great Military Orphanage Potsdam."
From 1910: Used as a harmonium factory, restaurant, mud bath, then border police school and refugee camp.
From 1947 to the present: Children's and youth home.
Museum & Café
Museum & Gallery: Guided tours and exhibitions on the history of Löser & Luther as well as Baroque renovations; currently under renovation, reopening in 2025.
Café Eberhardine: Salus now operates a regional café in the Orangery (built 1710–1719).