Burg Freudenberg

Burg Freudenberg stands at the western edge of Bassum, a small town in the Diepholz district of Lower Saxony. It is a medieval lowland castle built on an artificial mound surrounded by a moat. The oldest written record of the site dates from 1384, when it belonged to the Counts of Niederhoya. Archaeological evidence suggests the first wooden tower was raised between 1209 and 1213. Later the Counts of Altbruchhausen moved the stronghold to its present position near the Amtshaus. The castle’s history reflects the shifting power of regional lords. After the Counts of Hoya acquired it in 1338, Freudenberg served as a border fortress against the Bishopric of Bremen. When the Hoya line died out in 1582, the buildings passed through many hands, suffered war damage and were finally demolished in the 17th century. Only the Amtshaus, a two-storey half-timbered building with a central projection, survives from that period. Its attached wing has been heavily altered, while the former prison, now the Amtsschreiberhaus, still shows brickwork from the late 13th century. Today the grounds belong to the town of Bassum. A landscaped park surrounds the Amtshaus, and a small Heimatstube run by the local heritage society occupies a restored building. Since 1993 the site has functioned as a seminar and conference centre for the Diepholz district and its adult education college. A renovated farm building added in 2009 provides space for seventy people and overnight accommodation in twenty-four rooms.