Once upon a time, nestled idyllically on the edge of the Greifswald Bodden, Schloss Ludwigsburg was not just a building. It was a dream made of stone. Duke Ernst Ludwig of Pomerania-Wolgast gifted it to his wife, Sophia Hedwig in 1586. He wished for her to have a beautiful place. He gave her 1000 Gulden to construct a castle and estate.
Today, Schloss Ludwigsburg stands as one of the last preserved castles of the Pomeranian dukes in Germany. It remains largely original. Imagine the lives it has witnessed. After Ernst Ludwig died in 1592, Sophia Hedwig renamed Darsim to Ludwigsburg. She had to give up the castle in 1615. It then passed to her son Philipp Julius. Sophia Hedwig later received lifelong usufruct of Schloss Ludwigsburg after Philipp died in 1625.
Later, in 1631, Anna von Croÿ received Schloss Ludwigsburg from her brother Duke Bogislaw XIV. She sold it in 1650. The buyer was Burchard Müller von der Lühne. He was a general in Swedish service. His family owned the castle until 1747.
The castle then belonged to Philipp Ernst von Horn, a chancellor. In 1776, Friedrich Ernst Sebastian von Klinckowström, a Swedish lieutenant colonel, bought the estate. He created a late Baroque park. His sons Friedrich August and Karl were born here.
In 1810, Johann Philipp Hermann Weissenborn, a merchant from Greifswald, purchased Schloss Ludwigsburg. The Weissenborn family renovated and expanded the park in the 19th century. Initially, it was a summer residence. Central heating and electric light were installed between 1906 and 1908. This allowed year-round use.
During World War II, Schloss Ludwigsburg served as a storage for relocated newspaper archives. After the war, the fleeing Weissenborns were dispossessed. In 1946, the municipality took ownership. Refugees were housed here. Improper renovations caused damage.
In the 1970s, the living spaces were vacated. The local LPG used the basement as a kitchen. The ballroom became a cinema.
In 1991, the Weissenborn family reacquired Schloss Ludwigsburg. Since 1998, a support association has used the farm buildings. Their goal is to renovate the castle. A permanent exhibition about the castle’s history opened May 18, 2002.
Friedrich August von Klinkowström, born at Schloss Ludwigsburg in 1778, was a friend of Caspar David Friedrich and Philipp Otto Runge. Runge often visited Klinkowström in Ludwigsburg. This made the castle a meeting place for the Romantics.
Today, the Förderverein Schloss- und Gutshofanlage Ludwigsburg e. V. works to preserve this gem. The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern acquired parts of the property in 2020/21. They are planning a thorough restoration.
Schloss Ludwigsburg, with its chapel from 1708 and park, invites visitors to experience history. The church clock in the chapel tower is the oldest still functioning in Western Pomerania. Though restoration continues, the spirit of the Pomeranian dukes and the echoes of Romantic artists linger. They offer a glimpse into Pomerania’s rich past.