Der Umgang mit Denkmalen als Sinnstiftungsprozess am Beispiel der Schlösser und Herrensitze in Brandenburg

Many listed castles and stately homes—not only in the new federal states—are threatened by vacancy and decay. How can we find suitable new uses and responsible owners for such buildings? How do we lend fresh, significant orientation to the historical cultural landscape without neglecting issues of preservation? This publication investigates such questions, examining strategies to deal with listed buildings and correlated, often vacant architectural and social spaces; strategies that pay attention to preservation and—in a broader sense—create meaning in a social context. As a case in question, it looks at the listed rural castles and stately homes of Brandenburg and the experience gained there since 1990. In the process, the author examines framework conditions, forms of ownership and usage, and the possibilities and limitations of architectural preservation and transformation, focusing on ways to handle these buildings’ qualities as historic monuments.