Burg Syke, Castle complex in Syke, Germany

Burg Syke is a former castle in Syke whose site is enclosed by a ring wall up to 2.5 metres high and about 9 metres wide, built of heather sods over a timber frame. Within the wall stand the Kornzinshaus, a tithe barn built in 1592 and shortened after 1850, and the gatehouse erected from 1738 to 1740 at the former castle entrance. The complex now serves as the Amtshof, housing government offices and the Syke district court.

The castle was founded around 1270 by the Counts of Neubruchhausen as a regional fortification. It passed between different noble houses over centuries before reaching its current form.

The site is still an administrative centre: the gatehouse, built 1738–1740 at the former castle entrance, held prison cells until 1845 and later housed the district administration. The Kornzinshaus, a tithe barn dated 1592 by inscription, was shortened from 33 to 24 metres after 1850.

The site now houses several authorities and institutions, including the Syke District Court in a building erected in 1845 as a criminal office, and parts of the Syke Gymnasium in newer buildings. The gatehouse, built 1738 to 1740 at the former castle entrance, held prison cells until 1845. Visitors should keep to the publicly accessible outdoor areas and respect the working offices.

The ring wall still stands up to 2.5 metres high and about 9 metres wide, built of heath sods over a timber frame, with an original diameter of roughly 125 metres. Excavations in 1968 and 1969 cut a section through it; its construction date could not be determined and is presumed early medieval.