In the following article, we present to you the hunting school Schloß Eichicht. It is a very special hunting school, recently run by Catharina and Max Buchholz. Catharina and Max acquired Schloß Eichicht in 2015 and restored it in accordance with monument protection regulations until 2019. In 2020, they founded Schloß Eichicht GmbH & Co. KG to establish economic operations around Schloß Eichicht, so that future surpluses from these operations can help preserve the cultural monument. In the first step, they started their own game meat operation in 2020. In the second step, the hunting school Schloß Eichicht was opened in autumn 2022.

For these two business areas, they have rebuilt a historic barn on the castle grounds (from 2020 to October 2022) as part of the monument ensemble protection. In this new building, they have already accommodated a local farm shop, an office, the game meat manufactory with an integrated butcher shop with EU approval, and the hunting school. The young couple has already created 2 new social security-contributing jobs.

The Hunting School:

Hunting license in a compact course. In the new training building on the castle grounds, they have been offering compact courses for obtaining the hunting license since October 3, 2022. Schloß Eichicht is surrounded by a 482 ha small game hunting area, of which 75% (364 ha) serves as a training area.

With a step out of the training building, you are already directly in the hunting area. Here, in addition to wild boar and roe deer, you can also find mouflon and red deer as well as foxes, hares, badgers, and raccoons. Follow the tracks of the forest animals and experience hunting practice right on site. Additionally, the beautiful high game hunting area Gösselsdorf with 306 ha is available. The Gösselsdorf area is known regionally for its red deer population. Besides the most important classroom – nature – the lessons take place in the newly constructed training building completed in 2022. The latest technology and modern furnishings provide you with the best conditions for learning, all with a view of the castle. With illustrative learning boards and animal specimens, you will continue to learn automatically even during breaks. In the new tea kitchen, cold and hot drinks are available free of charge. The training building is part of the castle ensemble, located high on the mountain spur above the Loquitz-Saale confluence at the edge of the village of Eichicht, promising peace and seclusion in the midst of nature – your training area. In January 2024, 3 very nice apartments were set up in the castle, so that the hunting students can also stay overnight at Schloß Eichicht. The hunting school can be found at: https://schloss-eichicht.de/jagdschule/

Game Meat Operation:

Game meat – a gourmet delight from nature – is what Dr. Catharina Buchholz and Max Buchholz have committed to. "In a time when the extent of intensive animal husbandry and its consequences for the environment, resources, economy, humans, and animals are becoming increasingly clear, we want to open the market for healthy and sustainable meat." In 2020, the game meat trade Schloß Eichicht was established with the aim of offering regional game meat from Thuringia as a genuine alternative to meat products produced in industrial animal husbandry. At the end of September 2022, the newly constructed production area on the castle grounds went into operation. More information can be found at www.schloss-eichicht.de and also https://www.facebook.com/schlosseichichtde/ 

With MDR television, the couple was allowed to help shape a very nice small series, below you will find the link to the media library, Schloß Eichicht appears mainly in episodes 2, 3, and 4. Please see: https://www.ardmediathek.de/serie/es-war-einmal-ein-schloss/staffel-1/Y3JpZDovL21kci5kZS9zZW5kZXJlaWhlbi9kNzhhZTM3YS03YTI5LTQ1ZmMtOTZkMS00NDRhY2E1MDA2MTE/1

Especially the combination of castle, hunting school, and game meat manufactory (all in one place) certainly gives Schloß Eichicht a unique selling point in Central Germany. Let yourself be inspired by the place and see for yourself! Be there up close when high-quality food is created from ethically hunted game in a state-of-the-art manufactory and learn the optimal hygienic practices from the very beginning. There is no more beautiful and better place to obtain your hunting license, the team at Schloß Eichicht is convinced of that!