Elsum Castle (Birgelen)

Elsum Castle is a two-part complex, mainly built of brickwork, still largely surrounded by moats. The almost completely enclosed four-sided outer bailey dates mainly from the beginning of the 18th century. The preceding medieval outer bailey was probably flanked by round corner towers, but these, like parts of the once closed moat ring around the outer bailey, are not preserved. In contrast, the late Gothic main castle, built on an irregularly quadrangular, artificially raised and walled hill, is still completely surrounded by wide moats; access is from the outer bailey via an ascending arched bridge. The actual two-winged and two-story manor house, built in an L-shape, is fortified by three strong quadrangular towers arranged diagonally to the main castle quadrangle. The eastern tower is one story higher than the other two towers and has a hipped roof with a short ridge, while the other two towers have slender octagonal spires. The part of the manor house located between the east and south towers was only built during the restoration and expansion work carried out in 1876 according to plans by Heinrich Wiethase, on the site of an older, narrower building. In the north corner of the main castle's courtyard, above a fourth corner tower that was probably originally present there, is the neo-Gothic castle chapel.