Wendhausen Castle, Renaissance château in Lehre, Germany

Wendhausen Castle is an irregular three-winged moated castle open to the west, with two stone storeys over vaulted cellars and outer walls 1.4 m thick at the base. It has 28 rooms across about 800 m², and a stone bridge leads to a large round-arched portal in the north wing.

The current structure was built in 1688 by Chancellor Philipp Ludwig Probst, using the foundations of a 14th-century building that once belonged to the Duke of Braunschweig. This construction atop older foundations shows how the site maintained importance across different eras.

The Vieweg family, publishers from Braunschweig, leased the estate in 1836 and bought the castle in 1873. They assembled a large art collection there; after the last Vieweg heir died in February 1939, it was auctioned the following spring. The family also built the Wendhausen Windmill.

The castle is privately owned by architect Carsten Henze, who restored it between 1992 and 1995. The southern wing, with its ballroom, housed his private gallery from 1995 to 2002. Access is via a stone bridge over the moat leading to the north wing's arched portal and the 500 m² inner courtyard; arrange a visit in advance.

The Wendhausen Windmill, a post mill, was built by the Vieweg family, the Braunschweig publishers who leased the estate from 1836 and bought the castle in 1873. The last Vieweg heir died in February 1939, and the family's art collection was auctioned the following spring.