Wasserburg Sachsenhagen

Wasserburg Sachsenhagen is a water fortress near Sachsenhagen in Lower Saxony featuring a square keep surrounded by water-filled moats and defensive walls. The grounds sit about 2.5 meters above the surrounding landscape and include a two-story administrative building with a hipped roof alongside the medieval core.

Duke Albrecht I of Saxony commissioned its construction in 1250 to secure territory and support settlement of the nearby Dülwald region. In the early 1600s, Count Ernst of Holstein-Schaumburg transformed the military fortress into a residential castle.

The name reflects its origin as a water fortress, and today it remains a private residence where inhabitants maintain gardens in the former courtyard. The site shows how such places gradually shifted from military use to family living spaces.

The site can be viewed from the surrounding grounds but is not open for interior visits as it remains a private residence. Walking around the perimeter via local paths offers the best way to appreciate the moats and its setting in the landscape.

Archaeological digs in 2012 uncovered pottery fragments and structural remains spanning several centuries beneath the castle park. These finds suggest earlier defensive structures occupied the site before the stone fortress was built.

Location: Sachsenhagen

Inception: 1250

GPS coordinates: 52.39380,9.26591

Latest update: December 9, 2025 12:28