Gut Ostenwalde, Moated manor house in Melle, Germany

Gut Ostenwalde is a former moated castle north of Melle, made up of a square main castle and a southern forecourt. The two-storey west wing of the three-winged house dates from 1698, with pyramid-topped gables typical of the Weser Renaissance; the central section was completed in 1780 and the east wing rebuilt between 1906 and 1908, when the corner tower was added.

Gut Ostenwalde is first documented in 1343 as the seat of Omer Vincke, and the Vincke family, ministerials to the Osnabrück bishops since 1223, still owns it. The estate likely began as a fortification guarding an older hilltop Volksburg. The west wing dates from 1698, the central section was completed in 1780, and the east wing was restored between 1906 and 1908. From 1945 to 1949 the manor served as the official residence of the British military governor, housing Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery until May 1946 and General Brian Robertson from November 1947.

The estate is the ancestral seat of the von Vincke family, documented as ministerials of the Osnabrück bishop from 1223 and still owners today. The manor house held a private library of over 15,000 books assembled by Idel Jobst II von Vincke. In the park behind the house stand a 19th-century orangery and, since 1839, a Gothic well house moved here from Herford's marketplace.

The manor lies north of Melle in the Oldendorf area, with the surviving moat sections around the square main castle and the southern forecourt. The water-powered oil mill on the Oldendorfer Mühlenbach, restored in 1988, still runs on milling days. The estate is privately owned by the von Vincke family, so the house and library are not open to visitors.

The manor's private library holds over 15,000 books, assembled by Idel Jobst II von Vincke. In the park behind the house stands a Gothic well-house dating from 1839, moved here from Herford's market square. Nearby, a water-powered oil mill from the 15th century, fully restored in 1988, still runs on milling days.