The Castle

The mediaeval ‘Hunoldesburg’ was redesigned to a Renaissance castle under Ludolf X von Alvensleben already in the 16th century. The baroque extension, which was carried out from 1693 on by Hermann Korb for Johann Friedrich II von Alvensleben, gave distinction to the castle for centuries. As a result originated an impressive magnum opus of the era of the Braunschweig baroque. In the words of the art historian Udo von Alvensleben: ‘The brilliant composition of a North German castle complex and a venetian palace’. Despite changes during the 19th and the early 20th century as well as a fatal fire in the castle in 1945, the majestic construction was not fully destroyed. Since 1991 the castle is being gradually restored and preferentially employed for cultural events.

The baroque garden

Synced with the castle the baroque garden was created from 1699 on and has, as one of the oldest classic French gardens in Germany, a high art historical standing.
Here, time has neither gone by without leaving a mark. Horticultural remodelling during the 19th and 20th century was followed by uses totally diverting from the initial intentions, e.g. as a football ground, until 1991. Since then the complex has been fully reconstructed.  Additionally, the garden has become the home of a collection of fruit as a focal point housing historic kinds of fruit of the Altmark and the northern Boerde of Magdeburg.

The country park

The merchant Johann Gottlob Nathusius acquired the secularised monastery Althaldensleben in the year 1810 and in 1811 the castle Hundisburg. Due to his affection to plants and gardens he founded a tree nursery and took up the forming of the country park which sizes up to almost 271 acres between the two estates.
Until the end of the 19th century the park was embellished and eventually completed by his sons. The country park is located in the picturesque valley of the river Beber which offers a variety of woods. The park is the third biggest of its kind in Saxony-Anhalt and an outstanding example concerning the designing and use of plants for a park presenting the 19th century.
The castle, the monastery and the park are the setting of the novel ‘Die Epigonen’ (1836) by Carl Leberecht Immermann.