Schloss Ostramondra, Castle in Ostramondra, Thuringia, Germany

Schloss Ostramondra stands in the municipality of Ostramondra in the Sömmerda district of Thuringia, on the site of a former water castle at the confluence of the Schafau and Krebsbach streams. A stone bridge now crosses the broad moat that once held a drawbridge. The largely empty building, restored and privately owned together with its park, is a heritage monument.

In 1461 the Counts of Stolberg enfeoffed Hans Knauth with the knight's estate and 1700 acres of land, the economic basis for maintaining the water castle. The Knauth family held Ostramondra until 1596/1612, followed by the Tangels, Heinrich von Bünau from 1708, the von Sperling family from 1770, and Schubart from 1829. In April 1945 the US Army occupied the castle and expelled the last owner Karl-Dedo von Krosigk and his sister Elisabeth; after the Soviets took over in July 1945 the family was expropriated without compensation.

The name Ostramondra is tied to the Knauth family, whom the Counts of Stolberg enfeoffed with the knight's estate and 1700 acres of land in 1461. Ownership passed through the Tangels, von Bünau, von Sperling, Schubart and von Müller-Schubart to the von Krosigk family. A daughter of the Müller-Schubart family married into the von Krosigk line, and Karl-Dedo von Krosigk, the last lord of the manor, married Emmi von Goeckel here in 1915.

The castle can only be viewed from the outside as it remains privately owned. Visitors can walk around the exterior walls, gardens, and grounds to observe the historical details while respecting the privacy of the residence.

The wide moat that once held a drawbridge is now crossed by a stone bridge leading to the castle, a change made after the Schubart family acquired the former water castle in 1829. The castle and its park remain in private ownership and have stood largely empty since 2014.