Rittergut Eckerde, Manor estate in Barsinghausen, Germany

Rittergut Eckerde I, also called Rittergut von Heimburg, lies west of the old village centre of Eckerde in Barsinghausen. Its two-storey, rendered manor house of 1890 stands south of the farmyard, surrounded by a broad moat. The 16th-century stair tower with a massive spiral staircase was kept from the predecessor building and bears a Renaissance portal with two coats of arms and the year 1580.

The von Heimburg family probably took over the estate from the von Goltern family at the end of the 15th century; the earliest documented mention dates from 1516. The manor house, shown in 19th-century watercolours as a timber-framed building over a rubble-stone ground floor, burned in early January 1889 and was replaced in 1890 by a new building designed by the Hanover architect Ludolff. The 16th-century spiral staircase tower was kept from the predecessor building.

The former cow barn on the western side of the farmyard was converted into a 357-square-metre event hall. It hosts barn festivals, concerts and medieval markets, and before German national football team matches in Hanover in 2012 and 2015 the DFB held press conferences here. Since 2008 the park has staged the annual "Oper auf dem Lande" series of the Edelhof Ricklingen foundation.

The grounds open to visitors during special events from May through October and feature walking paths through the historic gardens with parking available. Wear appropriate footwear since the park has slopes and natural water features that become slippery in wet conditions.

The staircase tower survives from the 16th-century predecessor building; above its Renaissance portal two coats of arms are crowned by the year 1580, the one on the viewer's left belonging to the von Heimburg family. In 1890 the firm F. A. Beyes installed a tower clock with a mechanical movement and bell strike, restored in 2019. The hands of the dial above the main entrance are driven by a shaft more than 20 m long.