Bremervörde Castle

About

Bremervörde Castle (German: Schloss Bremervörde), also called Vörde Castle, in the German town of Bremervörde in northern Lower Saxony was the largest fortification in the region. It was slighted in 1682 after various military conflicts and largely demolished. Today, the surviving chancery building (Kanzleigebäude) houses a museum.

From medieval castle to stately home: The first castle on the site of the subsequent stately home was built in the early 12th century, between 1112 and 1122, at the behest of Lothair III. Because there was a ford here over the River Oste and the site was on the historic Ox Road, the location was of strategic importance. The castle, known in Latin documents as Castrum Voerde ("Vörder Castle"), fell into the hands of various owners as a result of disputes. For example, it went from the counts of Stade to Henry the Lion and finally, in 1219, to the Archbishopric of Bremen. Roughly located in the centre of the bishopric, the castle grew during the course of the centuries that followed, into the greatest fortress in the region and the headquarters of the central administration of the episcopal estates and the district advocates. The castle was used as a residenz...