Schloss Diepholz

Schloss Diepholz stands in the town of Diepholz in western Lower Saxony. It began as a water castle in the 13th century, built on marshy ground fed by the Alte Strothe and Lohne streams. The oldest part is a 43-metre tower on the north side, its walls up to 3.5 metres thick in places. The castle later became a three-winged Renaissance residence with a square floor plan. A stone frieze above the north door shows the coats of arms of Diepholz and Hoya, added when Rudolf of Diepholz moved in with his wife Margarete of Hoya in the mid-16th century. The castle’s history includes fires, wars and rebuilding. It was damaged in the Thirty Years’ War and again in 1790, when the south and west wings burned. After each disaster it was repaired and sometimes raised by an extra storey. From 1852 the district court has occupied part of the building, while the tower now houses a museum. The tower’s lower section is granite up to 16.5 metres high, topped by brick and timber-framed storeys from the 17th century. Visitors find a three-winged palace around a courtyard. The north wing, with its massive tower, is the oldest surviving part. The west wing, once called the ‘new building’, is the youngest. The entrance in the south once had a gatehouse, now gone. Outside, the medieval ramparts have disappeared, but the castle remains a solid example of northern German Renaissance architecture.