Osterburg (Groothusen)
Encyclopedia
The Osterburg is a castle from the High Middle Ages
in the village of Groothusen
in the municipality of Krummhörn
, in the district of Aurich in Lower Saxony
, Germany.
n village next to a protected landscape. Today it houses a large quantity of historical memorabilia.
in the early Middle Ages and was an important trading centre and meeting place in the Frisian Emsigerland, as well as the provost office for 12 parishes. At that time, like many other places in Krummhörn, it was on the edge of a bay and was accessible to shipping. There were, in those days, three moated castles in the village: the Osterburg, Middelburg and Westerburg. Only the Osterburg - rebuilt in 1490 - has survived; the other two were destroyed by Hamburg
forces during feuds in 1400 and 1432.
The Osterburg, is surrounded by a moat
in the middle of a park with an old lime tree avenue. The oldest part is a long, two-story hall, which was built around 1490 by the chieftain family
of Beninga. Around 1550 the castle was converted into a three-winged manor house, when two lower wings were built in front of the hall. In 1700 the right wing was demolished to make way for a Gulf farmhouse, which was built in 1707. The last structural change to the Osterburg was carried out in 1900, when a hallway was built in front of the hall. So the form of the original building cannot be easily seen from the front. From the rear of the building there is however a view of the original stage of construction.
Today the Osterburg houses a significant collection of cultural and art historical artefacts such as furniture, weapons, a library, items of Old East Frisian culture and a remarkable art collection of ancestral portraits from five centuries.
The castle is now owned by the descendants of the chieftain family of Beninga and may be visited in guided tours arranged by telephone. The left wing has been extended to create guest rooms, where bed and breakfast is offered.
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
in the village of Groothusen
Groothusen
Groothusen is an old Langwurtendorf - a village on an artificially-built ridge - in the municipality of Krummhörn in western East Frisia on Germany's North Sea coast. It lies about 15 kilometres northwest of the seaport of Emden and has a population of 474...
in the municipality of Krummhörn
Krummhörn
Krummhörn is a municipality in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Ems estuary, approximately 15 km southwest of Norden, and 10 km northwest of Emden....
, in the district of Aurich in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany.
Location
The castles lies at the eastern end of the East FrisiaEast Frisia
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
n village next to a protected landscape. Today it houses a large quantity of historical memorabilia.
History
The village of Groothusen was originally built on a long warftArtificial dwelling hill
An artificial dwelling hill is a mound, created to provide safe ground during high tide and river floods....
in the early Middle Ages and was an important trading centre and meeting place in the Frisian Emsigerland, as well as the provost office for 12 parishes. At that time, like many other places in Krummhörn, it was on the edge of a bay and was accessible to shipping. There were, in those days, three moated castles in the village: the Osterburg, Middelburg and Westerburg. Only the Osterburg - rebuilt in 1490 - has survived; the other two were destroyed by Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
forces during feuds in 1400 and 1432.
The Osterburg, is surrounded by a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
in the middle of a park with an old lime tree avenue. The oldest part is a long, two-story hall, which was built around 1490 by the chieftain family
East Frisian chieftains
The East Frisian chieftains assumed positions of power in East Frisia during the course of the 14th century, after the force of the old, egalitarian constitution from the time of Frisian Freedom had markedly waned.- Early history :...
of Beninga. Around 1550 the castle was converted into a three-winged manor house, when two lower wings were built in front of the hall. In 1700 the right wing was demolished to make way for a Gulf farmhouse, which was built in 1707. The last structural change to the Osterburg was carried out in 1900, when a hallway was built in front of the hall. So the form of the original building cannot be easily seen from the front. From the rear of the building there is however a view of the original stage of construction.
Today the Osterburg houses a significant collection of cultural and art historical artefacts such as furniture, weapons, a library, items of Old East Frisian culture and a remarkable art collection of ancestral portraits from five centuries.
The castle is now owned by the descendants of the chieftain family of Beninga and may be visited in guided tours arranged by telephone. The left wing has been extended to create guest rooms, where bed and breakfast is offered.
Source
- Kempe, Enno F. (1989). Die Osterburg zu Groothusen (Ostfriesische Kunstführer, Heft 12). Aurich. ISBN 3-925365-34-6