Northwest of the town of Meiningen, Landsberg Castle, one of the most beautiful pleasure palaces in Thuringia, towers high above the Werra Valley.
Built in the 19th century, the castle is one of Meiningen's most famous landmarks today. Built between 1836 and 1840, the neo-Gothic building was created during the period of European castle romanticism, of which Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenzollern Castle are probably the most famous representatives. However, other sources of inspiration for the building came from England. The client, Duke Bernhard II of Saxe-Meiningen, incorporated many influences from English aristocratic residences into his magnificent building. Bernhard's older sister Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningen was British Queen at the time alongside William IV and supported the construction of the castle in Meiningen financially and creatively and had the plans for the new castle drawn up by British architect Jeffry Wyatville, who is best known for his work on the conversion and extension of Windsor Castle. On the Meiningen side, the architects August Wilhelm Döbner and Carl Alexander Heideloff took charge of the new building. Döbner in particular also left his mark on Meiningen's townscape. The stables, the front vestry and the crypt chapel were built under his direction. After its completion, Duke Bernhard II only lived in the palace for a short time. His son and successor, Duke Georg II, housed parts of the ducal art collection here. The palace only served as a representative building. After the end of the monarchy in 1918, the palace became private property until 1945. After the Second World War, the castle became the property of the GDR trade organization, which briefly ran an excursion restaurant here and later converted it into a luxury hotel. In the following years, the castle was often used by stars from the West during their appearances in the GDR due to its secluded location and showcase hotel.
In 1991, Friedrich-Ernst von Sachsen-Meiningen acquired the castle, had it completely renovated and continued to run the hotel. After further renovation work, the castle continued to house a hotel until 2014.

Unfortunately, the castle is currently not open to the public.