Burg Delmenhorst: A Medieval Water Castle in Germany

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.delmenhorst.de

Country: Germany

Civilization: Medieval European

Site type: Military

Remains: Castle

History

Burg Delmenhorst is situated in the town of Delmenhorst in modern-day Germany. It was originally constructed by the Counts of Oldenburg shortly after the conclusion of the Stedinger Wars in 1234. Intended as a water castle fortified by moats, its purpose was to defend the recently acquired Stedinger lands.

The castle’s earliest documentary mention dates to July 27, 1259, when Count Johann I of Oldenburg officially sealed a deed referencing the site. From 1281 until 1436, Burg Delmenhorst served as the residence of the elder branch of the Counts of Delmenhorst. During this period, a significant fire in 1424 necessitated expansion and rebuilding efforts, enhancing the complex’s fortifications and living quarters.

Between 1440 and 1482, the castle became the stronghold of Count Gerd the Courageous, who used it as a base for raids. These activities prompted two failed enemy sieges in 1462 and 1471. Despite withstanding these attacks, the fortress was ultimately captured in 1482. After a period under different hands, Count Anton I of Oldenburg reclaimed the castle and its lands in 1547.

In the 1520s, the defensive structures of Burg Delmenhorst were enhanced with an octagonal outer wall featuring bastions and bulwarks. A third moat was also added during this time, although it has since been filled. Plans for further fortifications in 1647 were only partly completed. The 16th century also saw the castle’s transformation into a Renaissance palace complete with a pleasure garden, reflecting a shift from pure military function to a more residential and representational role.

In 1667, governance of both Oldenburg and Delmenhorst passed to Danish rulers. The castle entered a period of decline during the 17th century. After the county was pawned to the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1711, the crumbling fortress was sold with the intent of demolition. The castle’s remaining tower, known as the Blue Tower and later adopted as a city symbol, was demolished in 1787. Its stones were reused in constructing the new city church.

By the late 19th century, the site where Burg Delmenhorst once stood was cleared to make way for the Peter-Elisabeth Hospital. This building was later repurposed as a vocational school before being demolished in 1972, marking the final clearing of historical structures on the original castle grounds.

Remains

The site of Burg Delmenhorst covers a roughly circular area approximately 160 meters across. While the exact shape of the original lowland castle is unknown, the complex that was expanded in 1434 was enclosed by a distinctive pentagonal water moat, a defensive feature common in medieval fortifications. This moat system, combined with additional outer moats, defined the island-like character of the castle grounds.

During the early modern period, entrance to the castle was gained from the north by crossing a bridge over the bastion walls. This pathway led directly to the palas, the main residential building of the fortress. Flanking the entrance, a prominent tower known as the Blue Tower once stood on the left. This tower was notable for its considerable size, measuring nearly 12 meters in diameter with walls approximately 4 meters thick. On the opposite side of the portal rose the chapel wing, which provided a space for religious observances within the castle compound.

Behind the chapel wing extended the armory, where weapons and military equipment were stored. Adjacent to this, archaeologists found remnants of another round tower, although it is less well preserved. Between the armory and the Red Tower was the Commissary House, serving an administrative or logistical role within the castle’s layout. The Red Tower itself was sizeable, about 13 meters square with walls nearly 3 meters thick, underscoring its defensive purpose.

Today, the former castle grounds have been reconfigured into a park, first established in 1906. This green space incorporates sections of the old inner and outer moats as landscape features, preserving the memory of the water defenses surrounding the site. In 1979, the Count’s Garden House, originally constructed in 1564 by Anton I and later remodeled in a Baroque style in 1723, was reconstructed at the park’s entrance. This building is now utilized for public events such as exhibitions and weddings.

Most of the castle’s foundations and structural remains lie buried approximately four meters below the current ground level. As an archaeological site, these underground features preserve the footprint of the water castle’s complex layout. Some architectural fragments, known as spolia—reused stone elements from older constructions—have been recovered and are displayed in the local Delmenhorst city museum. On the castle island itself, visitors can observe marked outlines on the ground that indicate the positions of former walls and towers, helping to visualize the historic fortress that once stood there.