Gut Bustedt, Moated manor house in Hiddenhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Gut Bustedt is a moated manor house in Hiddenhausen featuring two connected building wings and a residential tower situated on islands. The entire complex is surrounded by wide water-filled moats that encircle the property.

Heinrich Ledebur built the water castle in 1415 on land belonging to the Herford convent, and a feud with the abbess forced him to leave it in 1419. The abbess had the original castle demolished and rebuilt; it then passed to the Counts of Ravensberg and was held for over a century by the Nagel family. From 1649 Wolf-Ernst Eller, commander of the Sparrenburg, rebuilt it as a moated manor, receiving it from the Prussians for betraying Herford to the Swedes in the Thirty Years' War.

The manor displays neoclassical wall paintings from the late 18th century that decorate the interior spaces with refined motifs. These artworks shape how the rooms look and feel when you walk through them.

The property can be viewed from the outside to see the classic moated architecture and layout. Wear sturdy shoes since the grounds around the islands can be uneven and muddy in places.

Today the site functions as an educational center where students take biology courses within the restored historical rooms. This use brings modern learning to life inside the old spaces.