A genuine old manor has been preserved in Ragow over the centuries. It was first mentioned in the local chronicle in 1393 and has undergone many changes since then. Fourteen different lords of the manor have been able to call this property their own over time. These included well-known noble names such as Carl Otto von Schwerin in 1758, Count von Schmettau in 1790 and Baron Bernhard von der Schulenburg in 1853, after it had been extensively expanded the year before. At the end of the Second World War, the last owners of Witte were expropriated.
The entire estate consists of a manor house and administrator's house, the horse stable and park with hereditary burial ground, as well as an ice cellar, orchard, nursery and a surrounding moat. Due to its importance, the ensemble was entered into the Brandenburg state monument list. In 1929, the palace park measured a total area of 1450 hectares.
Since 1998, the estate has been privately owned again and the park, which now covers around 100.000 square meters, has been divided into a public and private part. Today, there are still some paths that correspond to the historical routes and represent a successful example of 19th century garden art.
In its current form, the park probably dates from the second half of the same century and was designed according to the ideas of Baron von der Schulenburg. Stylistically, it follows the popular principles of the Lenné-Meyer school, which dominated taste at the time. Visitors can view the park's structure in three sections. The park near the castle is dominated by lawns and meadows with a loose planting of trees. This is followed by a denser planting of hornbeams, followed by the oak forest that completes the entire complex.
A total of 2.526 trees were registered in the entire area. Two ponds and the ice cellar ruins invite you to linger in the castle park. Sight lines open up charming views, paths lead visitors to magnificent old groups of trees, newly installed benches and a circular bench, over the two bridges or to the Kesselbrunnen.
Year of construction: second half of the 19th century
Directions: Car: A12 exit Fürstenwalde/Ost, continue on B87 to Ragow-Merz
