Wolfsburg, Water castle in Roisdorf, Germany.
Wolfsburg, also called Broicher Hof, is a brick-built former water castle in Roisdorf. Its three wings enclose a square courtyard, with a main castle and a bailey once linked by a drawbridge. The curved gable of the main building bears iron anchors dated 1626, and the gate tower dates from the 1721 Baroque renewal.
The castle was probably founded before the 15th century. In 1468 it was held by the von Metternich family as "bruchen huis"; by the late 16th century it passed to the Wolff von Bergheimerdorf family, who gave it its name. In 1626 a cross-wing was added, creating a three-winged complex on a closed square plan. In 1721 the von Waldbott-Bassenheim family rebuilt the outer bailey in Baroque style.
The name comes from the Wolff von Bergheimerdorf family, who acquired the castle at the end of the 16th century. In the early 19th century Baron Gerhard von Carnap tried to turn Roisdorf into a spa resort, and the Wolfsburg served as an excursion destination; guests included Ernst Moritz Arndt and Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm IV. Since 1888 the estate has belonged to the family of local mayor Wilhelm Rech.
The site is a private family property on An der Wolfsburg in Roisdorf, so visits are not open to the public; the buildings are best viewed from the street. The former moats survive only as traces in the ground, and the gate tower of 1721 marks the entrance to the forecourt.
The iron anchors on the gable of the main house carry the year 1626, the date the hook-shaped castle was extended with a cross wing into a three-winged complex on a closed square plan. The outer bailey, rebuilt in 1721 under the Waldbott-Bassenheim family, keeps its baroque gate tower.
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