Schloss Schulzendorf

Schloss Schulzendorf is a Berlin-based manor house from 1889, located in the Brandenburg district of Dahme-Spreewald in Schulzendorf.[1][2] It was built for a Jewish owner and ultimately usurped by the Third Reich. It is the filming site of the Netflix series The Queens Gambit.[3]

History and location
Schloss Schulzendorf

The castle is at the center of the Schulzendorf village, built on a former knight's estate. The first castle at the site, built during the 17th or 18th century, was owned by David Gottlob von Gersdorf.[4]

Over subsequent years, the castle was owned by King Frederick William I of Prussia, then by Eberhard von der Recke, the civil governor of Saxony and then by Meyer Jacobson.[5] In 1889, Jewish businessman Moritz Israel, heir of the Nathan Israel Department Store, bought the site after selling the shares in the store to his brother. He then constructed the current castle.[6] It was Moritz Israel's gift to his son Richard for his wedding to Bianca Cohn.

According to The Times of Israel, "for three decades, [Richard and Bianca] generously funded developments in town, from providing access to clean drinking water to building schools. They also paid for the town to have electrical lines installed".[7]

During the early years of Nazi rule, much of the family was able to leave Germany. In 1939, Richard Israel was dispossessed of Schloss Schulzendorf. The couple was transported to Theresienstadt, a hybrid ghetto-concentration camp where Richard died in 1943. Bianca survived the war and lived for another 20 years in Hanover.[8]

After 1945, the Schloss Schulzendorf was in East Germany where it was used as a "resettlement home" and for teaching mechanical workshops. In 1993, after German reunification, the government retook ownership of the castle and restored it to descendants of the Israel family.[9] The property has not been maintained since that time.[10]

On television

Some outdoor scenes for The Queens Gambit were filmed for Netflix at this building, which stood in for the fictional Methuen Home, a girls' orphanage in Kentucky.[11][12][13] The article published in Israel explained how the Schloss became the orphanage in the TV series:[14]

"Built in neo-Renaissance style, the castle has an imposing central tower and glass-roofed greenhouse, or winter garden. For “The Queen’s Gambit,” digital editing helped the medieval-looking tower perfectly match the historic building façade. The crumbling roof received dozens of new, CGI-generated shingles, among other alterations."

All of the scenes for the Netflix series were filmed in Germany and in Ontario, Canada.[15]

References
  1. "The Queen's Gambit: 12 locations from the Netflix series filmed in Berlin". tipBerlin (in German). 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  2. Robertson, Greg (2020-12-13). "The Places I Want To Visit After Watching 'The Queen's Gambit'". TravelAwaits. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  3. Lebovic, Matt. "Queen's Gambit orphanage is German Jewish-built castle that was seized by Nazis". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  4. Tofani, Felipe. "Schloss Schulzendorf: Queen's Gambit Locations via @fotostrasse". Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  5. "SCHLOSS SCHULZENDORF AS THE METHUEN HOME ORPHANAGE". Fotostrasse. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  6. "Schloss Schulzendorf". Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  7. "Queen's Gambit orphanage is German Jewish-built castle that was seized by Nazis". Times of Israel. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  8. "Queen's Gambit orphanage is German Jewish-built castle that was seized by Nazis". Times of Israel. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  9. Leiverkus, Patrick (2015-11-13). "Schloss Schulzendorf und die Geschichte der Familie Israel". Ausflugsführer Brandenburg (in German). Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  10. "Queen's Gambit orphanage is German Jewish-built castle that was seized by Nazis". Times of Israel. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  11. "Where was The Queen's Gambit filmed? The Aztec Palace Hotel and Filming Locations". Atlas of Wonders. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  12. "Schulzendorf: Hier drehte Netflix die Erfolgsserie "Das Damengambit"". MAZ - Märkische Allgemeine (in German). Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  13. Hoeller, Sophie-Claire. "Stunning real-life destinations in 'The Queen's Gambit' you can visit". Insider. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  14. "Queen's Gambit orphanage is German Jewish-built castle that was seized by Nazis". Times of Israel. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  15. Barber, Megan (2020-11-30). "Inspecting 11 Rooms From The Queen's Gambit". Curbed. Retrieved 2021-01-11.

52°21′35″N 13°34′23″E

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