Westerburg

The Westerburg was a medieval stronghold in the village of Hinte, in the flatlands of East Friesland. It stood on the western edge of the settlement, a single stone house built by Häuptling Habbo the Elder around 1312. Habbo was one of the leading judges in the Emsigerland district and represented the region at the Upstalsboom assemblies. His son, Habbo the Younger, left the castle in 1379 to join Folkmar Allena in a campaign against Ocko I. tom Brok. The opposing armies met near Loppersum that same year, and Habbo’s side was defeated.

The conflict ended when Ocko married Foelke Kampana, sister of Habbo the Elder, linking the rival families. Later, as piracy by the East Frisian chieftains grew, the Hanseatic League launched a punitive raid in 1436. The Westerburg was destroyed and never rebuilt. All that remains today is a low earthen mound marking the site.

Visitors can walk around the quiet western edge of Hinte and see the grassy rise where the castle once stood. A small information board explains the site’s history in brief. The surrounding fields stretch out flat and open, giving a sense of how the stone house once dominated the landscape. Nearby farm tracks lead back into the village, where old farmhouses recall the same centuries. The spot is peaceful, with little to show of the violent past beyond the mound and the sign.