Details
Founded: c. 1200Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)
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Ohsen Castle is a former moated castle in Hagenohsen, a district of Emmerthal near Hameln, Lower Saxony. Built around 1200 by the Counts of Everstein, it guarded a key Weser River crossing on a major medieval trade route. Though once surrounded by water, the eastern Weser channel has since been filled in, so the castle is no longer on an island.
First mentioned in 1259, the castle was originally a fief from the Archbishopric of Cologne. Over the centuries, ownership passed between various noble families, including the Eversteins, the Welfs, and the Counts of Spiegelberg. From 1557 onward, it remained in Welf possession and became a state domain and administrative seat until 1815. It is now privately owned.
In 1583, two women accused of witchcraft were imprisoned and burned at the stake here — a plaque on one of the towers commemorates this. The tower also bears the Spiegelberg coat of arms.
The castle consists of a main castle and a western outer ward. Notable surviving medieval structures include two towers: the 'Wittekind Tower' and the 'Black Vice', both from the 13th century. The road once passed through a gate in the outer tower toward the Weser crossing.
Today’s main building is a baroque three-winged structure. Some of its foundations date back to the medieval period. By the mid-1600s, the castle was converted into a manor, with farm buildings relocated nearby.
Duino Castle was built by the Wallsee family in 1389 on the cliffs overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. It replaced an older castle from the 11th century. Over time, the Wallsee family disappeared and the castle, after having been used as a prison, became the residence of the Luogar and Hofer.
At the end of the 19th century it became the property of Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis from the Czech branch of the House of Thurn and Taxis. It remains with the family to this day with his great-grandson Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino the current owner. The castle has been opened to the public as a museum and park.