Ohsen Castle
Description
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.
History
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.
Description
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.