Westerburg Castle

The history of the complex's origins is unknown. It is located on an early, fortified path through the marshy lowlands of the Große Bruch. The castle was probably built around 780 during the Saxon Wars. It may have been founded by Charlemagne as an advanced Frankish stronghold. In the 11th century, an oval round castle measuring 60 x 80 m with a round keep was inserted into the area of a 350 x 300 m ring wall with a moat.

The first documented mention of Westerburg occurred in 1052, when Emperor Henry III gifted the area to the Bishop of Halberstadt. In 1180, the Counts of Regenstein received the castle as a fief and expanded it into one of their strongest fortresses. Towards the end of the 13th century, it was converted into a residential complex, with the ring wall, up to 1.95 meters thick, simultaneously forming the outer wall of the houses.

On July 14, 1596, two women, and on May 12, 1597, three more women from Rohrsheim were burned at Westerburg for witchcraft, on behalf of Amtmann Peregrinus Hünerkopf.

After the death of the last Count of Regenstein, the castle reverted to Halberstadt administrative law. Over the following centuries, the owners of the old fortress changed constantly:

* 1599, after the extinction of the Regensteins, Westerburg fell back to the Bishop of Halberstadt, Duke Julius of Braunschweig; various enfeoffments and pledges

* 1630, Swedish troops occupied the castle during the Thirty Years' War, but no destruction occurred

* 1648, the Bishopric of Halberstadt, and thus Westerburg, passed to Brandenburg-Prussia;

* 1681, completion of the baroque castle chapel under Henning Adolph von Steinberg and Anna Catharina von Münchhausen

* 1701, after several changes of ownership, renovations and structural additions, Prussian princes (Frederick I, Frederick II, Heinrich Ludwig) became owners of the now Westerburg domain.

* 1770, lease of the castle to the Wahnschaffe family with the condition to cultivate the marshy "Große Bruch".

* 1802, it became a Prussian state domain

* 1952, it served the LPG Westerburg as an administrative seat with stables, apartments, and a small restaurant

* 1990, lease, maintenance, restaurant operation

* 1999, sale by TLG to private owners; extensive renovation and conversion into a hotel

* July 2, 2000, opening as a 4-star superior hotel with restaurant