Wasserschloss Hehlen

Wasserschloss Hehlen is a Renaissance limestone château with four wings arranged in a square layout around a central courtyard, featuring two stair towers and surrounded by a water moat. A restaurant-café now operates in a restored outbuilding that once served the estate's economic functions.

Fritz von der Schulenburg and his wife Ilse von Saldern commissioned construction of the château between 1579 and 1584 in the Weser Renaissance style. The building was erected during a period when such fortified residences displayed the wealth and power of local nobility.

The courtyard displays double portraits of the founding couple and their alliance coat of arms above two round-arched portals visible during a visit. These artworks show the family that shaped the place and their local connections.

The grounds are open to visitors, and the restaurant-café in the restored outbuilding provides a comfortable place to spend time on the estate. The location near the Weser River makes walking along the water a natural part of visiting the site.

The northwest side of the château features a grand staircase that leads directly to meadows along the Weser River, creating an unusual direct connection to the landscape. Such a link between the residence and nature was not common in noble estates of that era.