Honeburg

Honeburg is a water castle in Osnabrück featuring a two-story manor house with a hipped roof, ornamental beams, and decorated staircases. The structure was built on older foundations and now forms a unified complex that includes the chapel added in the 19th century.

Honeburg was first documented in 1344 as a castle owned by the Eifeler family. Major renovations in 1651 transformed its architecture, and it later came under the ownership of the Ostman von der Leye family, who have held it since 1793.

The Saint Aloisii Chapel added in 1866 shows how the family expressed their religious beliefs through the estate's design. This reflects how such properties became personal statements of faith and status during the 19th century.

The property remains in private hands and is not open to the public, so visitors should respect the boundaries and observe from a distance. The best views of the structure are available from the edges of the Haste district, where you can appreciate the architecture without stepping onto the grounds.

The protective moat was filled in during the 1880s when nearby coal mining exhausted the local water sources. This shows how industrial activity directly altered the physical form of a historic structure.