The Gothic House – Home of the gardener and princely retreat

Horace Walpole’s ”Little Gothic Castle” of Strawberry Hill, England, must have made a lasting impression on Prince Franz when he visited it in 1764. Very shortly afterwards he asked Erdmannsdorff to plan something similar for Wörlitz.

Initially intented as a home for the gardener, the house in its early stage already contained a so-called »Church Hall« whose decoration programmatically pointed towards the Middle Ages. From 1785 the house was extended in several stages. The large windows that were now added accommodated an extensive collection of precious, mainly Swiss, stained glass. German old master paintings by Lucas Cranach and others, as well as a large number of historic portraits, weapons and arts and crafts objects created an atmosphere within the Gothic House which was meant to breathe the spirit of the late Middle Ages.

The house also served as a private retreat for Prince Franz, where he could live with his morganatically-wedded wife, Luise Schoch, the gardener’s daughter, and their three children.

Even though a number of the countless objects in the house got lost over time, the unique charm of its rooms still captivates the visitor.