Scope of perfomance

A)  History

The moated castle of Wendhausen was built in 1688 by the Chancellor Provost of Wendhausen.

In 1717 it was inherited by Baron Konrad von Dehn.  By 1751, von Dehn had lost his political influence and had left the Braunschweig area, and the castle was sold to Duke Carl I.  The castle changed hands several times before 1814 (one owner being the Kingdom of Westphalia), in which year it again entered the ownership of the ducal Council of Domains.  In 1836, the Vieweg family rented the building for 99 years , finally acquiring ownership in 1873.  In 1941, ownership was transferred to the City of Braunschweig.  While the domain was managed until 1962, the castle itself underwent many changes of use (housing for refugees, sects etc.).  In 1990 the City of Braunschweig sold the estate, including the domain, to private investors, who resold the castle building to the present owner in 1991.

B)  Conversion

The fabric of the building was basically in good condition and, with only a few exceptions, would not have required any extensive renovation work.

After it had been transferred into public ownership – the City of Braunschweig – by the heirs of the Vieweg family, the entire site had suffered substantially from neglect.  For 50 years, no renovation work of note had been carried out.

In association with the Institute for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments, the following areas were renovated, partly on the basis of conservators' expertises:

-Windows
-Floors
-Walls
-Ceilings
-Heating system
-Sanitation
-Wiring and electrical system.

During conversion, an attempt was made to retain the historic fabric of the building; walls were removed or replaced in as few cases as possible.

A 300-year-old wall did, however, have to be removed under a court order, in the belief that in order to survive, the structure had to evolve.  

This has resulted in the so-called ‘Ducal Hall’, which never in fact served such a purpose.

Individual solutions had to be found for each room being renovated, because the building’s history had gone hand in hand with various ‘modernisations’, which had all left their individual marks.  Each room had its own history.  A decision had to be made in every case which of the conservators' expertises was authentic and which took into account best the quality of the structure.

A further problem was tied up with the history of the estate; although on the one hand it belonged to the City of Braunschweig, on the other the site is located in an area subject to the communal ownership of the District of Helmstedt.

By revitalising the whole complex and putting it to good use, this lack of a sense of belonging, and the resulting lack of identiy and of public accountability, must be made successively to undergo a gradual change.

Public institutions provided no support for the further development of the estate (castle park and domain).  Instead, the owner who had, to mention this just by the way, been awarded the State Prize for Heritage Conservation in 1995 for the renovation work, found himself constantly exposed to petty intrigues and more from the environment.