Plön Castle is a landmark, a tourist attraction, and the home of the Fielmann Academy in Plön.
Plön's landmark, visible from afar from all access routes by land and sea, was built during the Thirty Years' War between 1633 and 1636. Duke Joachim Ernst of Plön had a brick castle built on the site of the old, disused castle. The castle received its white paint job in the 18th century under the Danish King Christian VIII.
Plön Castle served as a Prussian cadet school for the officer corps of the Prussian army. Around 1900, all six sons of Kaiser Wilhelm II attended their own princely school in the Plön castle grounds.
During the Nazi era, it served as the National Political Education Institute (NAPOLA).
After the state government sold Plön Castle to the non-profit Fielmann Academy in January 2002, the castle was thoroughly renovated and, after careful reconstruction in collaboration with the monument preservation authorities and involving local craftsmen, reopened three years later. Since 2005, the Fielmann Academy, a public training center for German opticians, has trained more than 6,000 opticians annually at Plön Castle.
Regular tours offer visits to the reconstructed chapel, the Knights' Hall, and the ducal apartments. The Knights' Hall is used for the classical concert series "Castle Concerts."
Our "Siehs-mal-ander" blog offers a brief insight into the tours and rooms of Plön Castle.
>> Dates and registration for tours are available through the Fielmann Academy.<<
1633–1636 Built by Duke Joachim Ernst von Sonderburg-Plön
1636–1761 Ducal Residence Palace
1761–1864 Owned by the Danish Crown, temporarily a royal summer residence
1868–1920 Royal Prussian Cadet School
1896–1910 Prince's School of the Sons of Wilhelm II in the Garden Palace
1920–1933 State Educational Institution in the Weimar Republic
1933–1945 National Political Educational Institution in the Third Reich
1946–2001 State Boarding School of the State of Schleswig-Holstein
Fielmann Academy Plön Castle from 2002
Teaching operations commenced in 2004
Opened after demolition in 2006