Haus Werburg, Water castle in Spenge, Germany

Haus Werburg is a former moated castle west of Spenge's centre, made up of a manor house, a gatehouse built in 1596 in the Weser Renaissance style, and a 19th-century timber-framed barn. The manor house, rebuilt in 1717 and restored between 2008 and 2014, now holds the Werburg Museum Spenge.

The castle was first documented in 1468 and passed through the hands of four noble families over centuries. The Ledebur, Ketteler, Münch, and von dem Bussche families left their marks on the property until 1941.

The gatehouse, built in 1596 in the Weser Renaissance style, keeps the original poplar wood door from the 16th century on its front side. The well-preserved coats of arms of the Ledebur and Ketteler families remain on the building, and the former gate passage now hosts cultural events.

The property is located west of the town center and is easily accessible, with museum access through the manor house. Visitors should check opening hours in advance and wear sturdy shoes, as paths cross the historic grounds.

The most spectacular find from the 1995–2011 excavations was a munitions store from the turn of the 15th to the 16th century: 50 stone and 4 iron cannonballs of varying calibres, plus about 1,600 crossbow bolts. It lay among fragments of pottery, stove tiles, glass, shoes and butchered-animal remains.