Neuhaus Castle

Schloss Neuhaus, located in the Paderborn district of Schloß Neuhaus, named after it, is a significant building of the Weser Renaissance. It is situated on an island-like location at the confluence of the Lippe, Alme, and Pader rivers in the southeastern corner of the Westphalian Bay.

The first documented mention of the place Neuhaus dates back to 1036. In 1257, the Paderborn bishops erected a fortified house there in a protected location about four kilometers northwest of the city of Paderborn. Due to disputes with the city's citizenry, Bishop Heinrich von Spiegel definitively moved the episcopal residence to Neuhaus in 1370, from where the Prince-Bishopric of Paderborn was governed until its annexation by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1802. The oldest preserved part of the now four-winged complex, the Haus Spiegel, is named after him. Each subsequent part of the castle also takes its name from the respective builder.

From 1524 to 1526, during the reign of Erich von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen, master builder Jörg Unkair erected the Haus Braunschweig, which forms the current front.

In 1534, Hermann von Wied connected the two previously separate buildings with the construction of the Haus Köln.

Between 1548 and 1560, the Haus Kerssenbrock was built under Rembert von Kerssenbrock.

In 1590, Dietrich von Fürstenberg had the building expanded into the four-winged complex that still exists today. The size of the castle was almost doubled, and the four round towers were also erected during this construction phase.

In 1736, under the Wittelsbach Clemens August, the Baroque garden was completed. Grenadiers of the Paderborn Infantry Regiment served as guards at the castle.

During the Seven Years' War from 1756 to 1763, the castle was damaged.

After the Peace of Lunéville, Prussia annexed the Prince-Bishopric in 1802 as compensation for territorial losses on the left bank of the Rhine, although the constitutional basis for this, the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, only followed a year later, in 1803. From then on, the castle was no longer a residence.

After this annexation and a brief interlude during the "French period," in which the castle belonged to the Kingdom of Westphalia from 1807 to 1813, it was used militarily. Thereafter, the castle became the garrison for the following cavalry units: Cuirassier Regiment "von Driesen" (Westphalian) No. 4 First Squadron (October 6, 1820 to 1833), Hussar Regiment "Kaiser Nikolaus II. von Russland" (1st Westphalian) No. 8 (1851 to 1919), 15th Cavalry Regiment (1921 to 1945) (cf. also Officer Riding School in Paderborn). As a result of the Second World War, the castle grounds were now within the British occupation zone and were taken over by the British Army of the Rhine.

Only on July 19, 1964, after the municipality of "Neuhaus" was renamed "Schloß Neuhaus" in 1957 on the occasion of the castle's seven-hundredth anniversary, did the British hand over the castle to the municipality for the symbolic price of one Mark.

The Legend of the Murdered Roofer

On the ridge of the west gable of the Haus Fürstenberg, a reclining stone figure stands out. Its origin is based on a legend, which is briefly retold here:

Prince-Bishop Ferdinand von Fürstenberg (1626–1683) had invited guests to a hunt, including a close young relative, a Herr von Spiegel, who was known as a good shot but had no hunting luck that day and was very annoyed about it.

As the hunting party returned to the castle, a roofer engaged in repairs interrupted his work to watch the hunting party's arrival.

The annoyed hunter aimed at the roofer – just to show what a good shot he was – and fatally hit him.

He escaped the bishop's order to apprehend the perpetrator on horseback. Years later, he visited Neuhaus again, believing the bishop had forgotten the murder. However, he was arrested, sentenced to death, and executed at Wewelsburg.

A monument was erected at the scene of the crime for the shot craftsman. Annette von Droste-Hülshoff's ballad Kurt von Spiegel is based on this story.