“Lucasicz.” That’s what Lockwitz was first called. This Sorbian village was mentioned in 1288. The knight’s estate was Lockwitz’s heart. It was first noted in 1349.
Over centuries, at least twelve families owned the estate. These included Knight Karras and the von Kap-herr family. In 1402, part of the estate belonged to the Ziegler family. The von Alnpeck family became the sole owner in 1512. Their tombstones are in Leubnitz church. Lockwitz was once part of that parish.
Johann Georg von Osterhausen expanded the castle in 1621. He united upper and lower Lockwitz into one municipality. The Schlosskapelle was replaced with a full-size church. It became a church community center in 1623. The church steeple connected the church and castle. This gave direct access to the patron’s church lodge. It existed until 1945.
Freifrau von Racknitz acquired Lockwitz in 1726. She demolished the mansion built by J. G. von Osterhausen. Instead, she built a two-story castle. It had a mansard roof and a Baroque facade.
King Frederic II of Prussia used this castle as his headquarters. This was during the Seven Years’ War in 1756. Johann Karl Freiherr von Kap-herr acquired the Lockwitz estate in 1866. His father was Hermann Christian Freiherr von Kap-herr. He was a banker for Czar Alexander II in St. Petersburg.
Hermann Christian arranged the Czar’s railway network finances. He returned to Germany with his family around 1866-68. He bought three estates for his sons near Dresden. Lockwitz was Karl Johann’s main residence.
Karl Johann removed the mansard roof. He added a third floor. He renovated the mansion in Italian Renaissance style. The interior was lavish. There was a two-story hall with crystal chandeliers. The library held 2,500 books. A large collection of original paintings adorned the walls. These changes gave the castle its current structure. The village road was rerouted. This allowed a garden to be created in front of the castle. Karl Johann also bought adjacent land. He increased the knightly estate by 655 acres.
Hermann Thomas Freiherr von Kap-herr-Lockwitz inherited the estate. This was after a Royal Saxon edict in 1892.
Richard Hermann Karl Rudolf Freiherr von Kap-herr-Lockwitz took over in 1929. He faced financial difficulties. The world economic crisis of 1929 made things worse. The top floor and some lounges were rented out. The hall became a home museum. The family fortune was largely in Russian railway bonds. These became worthless after the 1917 Russian Revolution. Two estates in Mecklenburg and the Kap-herr Palais in Dresden were sold. Richard Hermann maintained the castle through hard work.
After World War II, in 1945, the knightly estate was expropriated. The family was evacuated. East German authorities occupied the castle. Everything of architectural value was stolen or sold.
The castle first housed a firemen’s school. Later, it became a school for cartographers. Schooling barracks and garages were built in the castle park for the fire brigade. Finally, it was a school for surveyors. It closed in 2001.
After forty-five years, the school director gave Gabrielle a tour of her former home. She was proud but shocked. Nothing familiar remained inside.
The family considered regaining the castle after German reunification. But without the land and forests, it wasn’t feasible. Renovation costs were too high. A new Autobahn exit to Lockwitz might entice a hotel chain. They could restore the castle. That would make the family happy.