Burg Beeskow rents its historic rooms for seminars, conferences, company celebrations, family parties and civil weddings, from 30 guests at tables to 1,000 standing in the courtyard. The castle stands in Beeskow, a town in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg, and is run by the county as a cultural center with two museums, exhibitions and a café.
Seminars and company events
The Konzertsaal is the main room for a conference or seminar. It seats about 140 in rows, or up to 70 at tables in a parliamentary layout. The adjoining Kleiner Balkensaal holds about 40 in rows or 30 at tables, and can serve as a breakout room or as the catering and standing-table area next to the hall. Both rooms can be set up in rows or with tables, and a screen, projector, standing tables and a sound system are available on request for an extra fee. For a summer company party, the Burghof courtyard takes up to 1,000 people standing, or up to 400 seated near the existing stage.
Weddings and receptions
The castle is a special registry office, so civil ceremonies take place on site, in the Kleiner Balkensaal, for up to 45 guests. The celebration can follow in the Konzertsaal, which seats 60 to 80 depending on the layout, while drinks and the buffet move into the Kleiner Balkensaal next door. The old walls and the keep give couples settings for photographs without leaving the grounds.
Rooms and capacities
The Konzertsaal takes about 140 people in concert rows, up to 70 at tables and 60 to 80 for a dinner. The Kleiner Balkensaal takes about 40 in rows, 30 at tables and 45 for a civil ceremony. The Burghof is open air and holds up to 1,000 standing or up to 400 seated. Organisers should note that the courtyard stays open to museum visitors and café guests during an event, so a party there is not fully private.
Catering
The castle has no in-house event catering: hirers bring their own caterer, and the team can put them in touch with catering companies it knows. The Burgcafé on site is run by cucina verde.
History and setting
The castle is first documented in 1316 as a water castle held by the Lords of Strehle. It passed to the Lords of Bieberstein between 1377 and 1382, and in 1518 Bishop Dietrich von Bülow of Lebus acquired it and had it extensively rebuilt. From 1575 it belonged to the Electors of Brandenburg and served for more than 300 years as an administrative seat, remaining with the Hohenzollern until 1915, when the town took it over. War damage in 1945 destroyed the east wing, but most of the castle survived. Today it houses the museum oder-spree, a music museum devoted to mechanical instruments and exhibitions in the Salzhaus, and it hosts theatre, readings, concerts and opera.
Getting there
The address is Frankfurter Straße 23, 15848 Beeskow. Beeskow lies about 90 kilometers southeast of central Berlin and has a regional railway station.
