Top 10 Castles around Bad Zwischenahn

Events often take place on the castle square.

The castle in Rastede was the residence of the counts and grand dukes of the House of Oldenburg for a long time and is still owned by the family today. The building is an example of Oldenburg classicism and the most important secular building in the Ammerland region. The castle, which is not open to the public, is located in the middle of an English-style park landscape, which is a wonderful place to cycle through.

As inconspicuous as the castle may be from the outside, it is all the more impressive from the inside. A visit is absolutely worthwhile and even teaches the locals something about "our" history. There are many interesting exhibits to discover. Tip: Drinks are not allowed in the museum. However, we were offered to keep our drinks behind the cashier. Very friendly staff!

The museum also shows changing exhibitions and has two other locations: the Augusteum houses the Old Masters Gallery, and the Prinzenpalais houses the New Masters Gallery with paintings from the 19th century onwards.

Historic representative rooms Some of the historic representative rooms in the castle have been largely preserved to this day. These include the Antiquarium, the oval reception room, the tower room, the blue, red and green salon, the Strack Hall, the throne room, the white hall, the marble hall, the idyllic room and the castle hall. The large castle hall was built in the neo-Renaissance style and decorated with ceiling paintings by the Delmenhorst-born painter Arthur Fitger (1840–1909). The oval reception room was designed under Grand Duke Paul Friedrich August in 1836. The room was to be completed the following year for the wedding of his daughter Amalie to the Greek King Otto I. The lavish plan approved by the Grand Duke included a "boiserie" (paneling) made of light satin wood and 48 mirrored panes for the doors. However, to the great annoyance of the Grand Duke, the work was not completed on time.

History The castle is based on a medieval lowland castle, which was built around 1100 by the Counts of Oldenburg to control a long-distance trade route from Westphalia to East Frisia. It was first explicitly mentioned in 1275, and a keep appears in a document in 1313. At that time, the individual buildings had to be founded on oak piles. Around 1400, the complex, which was laid out in a circle, was given a moat with an outer wall under Count Dietrich the Lucky, and thus became a moated castle. Numerous residential and commercial buildings were gathered in a small area, which housed a court of around 350 people around 1600. In 1573, the castle was considered dilapidated and was therefore renovated piece by piece. The keep in the middle of the courtyard had already become slanted by 1599 due to the marshy ground and was therefore demolished in 1608.

Köhlmoor Castle was rebuilt in 2014 and is located next to the airfield in Felde - Westerstede. The castle received its name because the “Köhlmoor” was once located in this area. In the 17th/18th In the 19th century, two families lived here and burned high-quality charcoal from the heavy peat. The style of the house is modeled on historic Renaissance country house castles both inside and out. The outer facade - a dream of white and yellow - is decorated with shell and stucco ornaments. A large mural decorates the entrance area.

Today the park serves as a recreational area for countless walkers every day, as well as an attractive running route for joggers and Nordic walkers. In addition to the castle, striking places are the deer gate at the southern end of the park and the large tournament field in the north with the adjacent Ellernteich. The tournament venue in particular is also the venue for various renowned major events such as the vintage car race “Vintage Race Days”, the medieval festival “Spectaculum”, the “Rasteder Musiktage” with guests from all over the world, the equestrian event “Oldenburg State Tournament” and the “International Grass track racing for motorcycles. The municipality of Rastede has been working on a concept for the future design and use of this park, which is unique in the northwest, since 2017. As a basis for this, the existing situation was recorded in 2018 and a current area representation was developed.