Oschersleben Castle

Oschersleben Castle, also partly referred to as Oschersleben Palace, is a medieval castle complex in Oschersleben, Börde district, Saxony-Anhalt, which, however, only survives in a few remnants.

The castle was built as a lowland castle in the immediate vicinity of the Bode river. It was equipped with ramparts and moats. The earliest documentary mention dates back to 1205, although the castle is likely older. In addition to a main castle, there was a bailey to the north, which was later used as an economic courtyard.

Strategically, the castle served to secure a crossing over the Großer Bruch, a 50-kilometer long and up to two-kilometer wide swamp area that no longer exists in this form today. The complex was owned by the Bishops of Halberstadt, who, however, repeatedly pledged it, for example, to the Archdiocese of Magdeburg and also to the Counts of Regenstein. In 1545, Cardinal Albrecht had an episcopal office established and the castle renovated and extended northwards towards the town. A four-story residential building in the Renaissance style, known as the palace, was built. With the transfer to Brandenburg in 1648, the castle became a domain. In 1691/92, a two-story, plastered official residence was built, which delimited the economic courtyard to the southwest. In the second half of the 19th century, the domain passed into private hands. In 1896, the palace was demolished, except for a stair tower that still exists today, and rebuilt as a granary. The material from the previous building was reused.