Fans of the youth series “Maxton Hall” will have to look elsewhere: plans to open Marienburg Castle south of Hanover on the first two weekends of Advent have been cancelled. The dilapidated castle is the filming location of the series. In fact, it has been closed to visitors for some time due to renovations.
Last weekend — shortly after the start of the second season of “Maxton Hall” — it opened for two days for the first time. However, the castle has been so overrun by visitors that those responsible are now pulling the strings, as the “Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung” reports. Therefore, planned openings on the next two Advent weekends were canceled — the anticipated rush could not be controlled, he said.
“The response has been amazing”
“The response has been overwhelming,” Mario Mathias Ohle, a board member of the Marienburg Castle Foundation, told the newspaper. Of the estimated 400 people, around 6,000 people came last Sunday alone. “We didn’t expect it to go this far.”
The expected crowds over the next two weekends cannot be overcome due to conditions and traffic routes to the castle. After discussions with police, traffic authorities and building inspectors, it was decided to cancel the announced openings for November 29 and 30 and December 6 and 7 – “out of concern for the safety of people and property”.
Castle dispute between Ernst August senior and junior
This castle is an old Guelph castle belonging to the family of Ernst August Prince of Hanover. In 2019, the family made headlines because Ernst August junior wanted to sell the dilapidated castle to the public sector for one euro – against the wishes of his father Ernst August senior, who is married to Princess Caroline of Hanover, who lives in Monaco. The castle was transferred to the foundation by Ernst August Jr. in 2004.
Some time ago, the Hanover Regional Government as the building supervisory authority ordered the interior to be closed after dry rot was discovered on the roof structure. According to the foundation, the building inspectorate granted special permission for the “Maxton Hall” filming day. According to previous information, the renovation of the castle will take at least until 2030.
Last weekend, among other things, the entrance hall in the south wing was opened to visitors to allow a look into the famous knight’s hall where the film “Maxton Hall” was filmed.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251126-930-346081/1
