With the collapse of East Germany after the Berlin Wall was torn down, ending the Cold War era, much of medieval Germany's castles and forts that survived Communist rule are also crumbling.

In the medieval town of Mutzschen, in Saxony region, an 18^th century castle furnished with a prison tower with the standard lake and moat sitting on a 5 ½ hectares of land is on sale for almost a half a million U.S. dollars, cheaper than a brand new unfurnished condominium in a major U.S. city. 

Like Us on Facebook

With population dwindling in the poorest regions of Germany, town mayor Carsten Graf is resigned to the possibility that wealthy Germans in Frankfurt would consider making any of their castles on sale as a home or even a vacation option.

Saxony lies in a region of Germany barely surviving from a bleak economy with most of its residents moving out into places where there are better opportunities for work and income. An ageing population left in the region is also a sign of the times that the grandeur of Germany is fading with the march of time.

Wolfgang Illert of the German Landmarks Foundation said over 1,000 forts and castles that survived two World Wars, and the Communist rule will ironically lose out to the rules under capitalism sought after by citizens of what was then Soviet controlled East Germany. 

The castles and forts were once used as schools, hospitals and supermarkets under the Soviet regime, and now fall into decay as a result of disrepair since the end of the Cold War 25 years ago.

The reunification of Germany paved the way for the skyrocketing of real estate prices in East Germany, pairing off with prices of real estate in the more affluent West Germany. 

The castles were eventually privatized and the government offered billions of euros worth of subsidies jacking up real estate prices, creating a bubble that burst leaving much of the real estate unattended to.

Local governments do not have sufficient funds to restore castles to make them enticing to prospective buyers. To purchase a disrepaired castle maybe cheap but the cost to renovate or repair the castle would be more than its acquired value.   

Illert insists that something shold be done.

"We can't allow buildings which have stood for centuries and which even survived the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), to be left to crumble in the reunified Germany," Illert said.

Proponents of preserving Germany's once glorious castles maintain that the state should look into the matter, in order to preserve the country's heritage. 

Prince-Elector August the Strong of Saxony built the Mutzschen castle in 1703 on top of a medieval fort. The castle was nationalized by East German leaders from its previous private owners at the end of the Second World War. Through the years, it was used as primarily as a hostel and was subject to several renovations.

Investors from nearby France and Switzerland, and all the way to Dubai approached the local government of Mutzschen, signifying interest over the castle, but to date, no business plan has been offered. 

Mayor Graf is hopeful that a rich investor who would use the castle as a corporate headquarters and as a base for business, which will help give jobs to the town's residents.

The mayor is optimistic after reports of a developer acquiring a the 18^th century estate of Schloss Kummerow  near the coast of the Baltic Sea at a cost of US$ 200,000.00. The estate is located in a country poorer than Saxony and the nearby village is hedging on plans of converting the estate into an exhibition hall for photos and art. 

The Saxony region directly owns 25 castles and have spent almost US$ 640 million for renovations since German reunification. Each year, 2.5 million tourists visit the castles and forts.

There is hope in the castles if there will be money to renovate them. Outside Berlin, the 1910-built estate owned by the Siemen's family, the German telecommunications conglomerate, now sells at US$ 28 million after its was renovated since its acquisition by developers in 2003 for only US$5 million.

TagsBerlin Wall, Germany, castles