Neuenburg Castle

Neuenburg Castle is a castle in Neuenburg, a district of the municipality of Zetel in the Lower Saxony district of Friesland.

In 1462, Count Gerd of Oldenburg had Neuenburg Castle (Nige Borg) built as a fortress against the East Frisians, as a counterbalance to the East Frisian Friedeburg. At the laying of the foundation stone, he is said to have exclaimed: "Dat de Fresen de Bammel slae!" ("The Frisians shall be filled with fear and dread!")

Around 1640, Matthäus Merian created an engraving of Neuenburg Castle, titled "Nieuburg oldenburgisch". It shows the bastioned, castle-like complex with a moat.

Towards the end of the 16th century, the fortress was converted into a representative residential castle. After the death of Count Anton Günther of Oldenburg (1667), the castle served as a residence and dower house for his wife. After a renovation at the end of the 17th century, the famous Oldenburg horses were bred at the castle in its own stud farm. Later, the upper floor housed the residence of the bailiff, where, among others, the poet Friedrich Leopold Graf zu Stolberg lived in his capacity as bailiff. The castle housed the following institutions since 1700:

• 1700–1858: District Court (Drostei Court)
• 1856: Agricultural School
• 1879: Agricultural College
• 1906−1921: Teacher Training College for Women
• 1921: Home Economics School
• 1940 Reserve Hospital
• 1946−1960: Rural Women's School
• 1965: Village Community Center

Today, the castle houses an ornithological museum, the castle chapel of the Evangelical-Lutheran congregation, and the wedding hall, which also serves as the meeting room for the Zetel municipal council. Furthermore, the "Kindergarten im Schloss" (Kindergarten in the Castle), one of four kindergartens in Zetel, is located on the premises.