Münchhausen Castle (Apelern)

We had a little picnic here in front of the castle. The Freiherr von Münchhausen liked this so much that he summarily joined us and talked about his family.
A nice encounter.Already in the 14th century, the barons of Münchhausen were lured by the Schaumburg counts with land in Apelern. To this day, they are in possession of the manor, which has become one of the headquarters of the family. From 1560, the water castle of J. Kölling, the master builder of the Weser Renaissance, was completely rebuilt for Börries von Münchhausen and surrounded by a graft. Through the gate building you enter the courtyard of a closed four-wing complex, the wings come from different times: the two-storey mansion and the stair tower of 1561, rebuilt in 1889, from the same time the tower porch and the western side wing, the eastern half-timbered cultivation of 1788. Noteworthy are many beautiful details such as heraldic panels, cornices, welsh gables and sundials. Also interesting is the surrounding landscaped park with the neo-Romanesque mausoleum of 1901.
... this and much more: schaumburgerland-tourismus.de

Already in the early Middle Ages, the Saxon dukes had inherited goods in Apelern, which later fell to the Guelphs and Ascanians and were transferred to Lamspringe Monastery by Heinrich the Lion and Albert the Bear. In 1369, the von Münchhausen family, which is one of the oldest aristocratic families in Schaumburg, acquired feudal property from Count Otto von Schaumburg in Apelern. From him grew the manor at the southern exit of the village, which is still owned by Münchhausen today, even if not in the direct line of the ancestors.The aristocratic residence was expanded into a moated castle during the Renaissance. In its current state, the Munchausen Castle is still completely surrounded by the old moat "Gracht" or "Graft". Crossing a stone bridge, which used to be a drawbridge (the frame in the sandstone is still visible), you get through a gate building crowned with a clock tower into the almost rectangular courtyard (inn). The farm yard is bordered on all sides by farm buildings and the manor house, which is supported by a tower. From the tower it is easy to see what is going on inside and outside the castle. The family of Münchhausen originally came from the no longer existing village of Münchhausen near the Loccum monastery in the district of Winzlar. Due to its proximity to the monastery, it has the "monk" in its coat of arms.
Source and further information: apelern-chronik.de/kapitel-25

is great there :-)