Overview
- The federal government will not renew its lease with the Messerschmitt-Stiftung, so Schloss Meseberg will stop serving as the government's official guesthouse when the contract expires in February 2027.
- Officials say the site cost the federal budget roughly €1 million in operating expenses, €0.5 million in personnel and €3.8 million in security in 2025, and use of the castle has declined in recent years.
- The Messerschmitt-Stiftung remains the owner and the Brandenburg state government has declined to take responsibility, leaving the castle and the adjacent Schlosswirt hotel facing an uncertain commercial and cultural future.
- Local leaders warn the loss will strip the village of Meseberg of national visibility and hurt the nearby hotel, whose contract was not renewed this year because federal use is ending.
- The property was rescued from decay after reunification when the Messerschmitt-Stiftung spent about €25 million on renovation and rented the site to the federal government for a symbolic €1 from 2007, creating two decades of high-profile state visits and cabinet retreats.