Oberau Castle, Niederau, Germany

In 1274, a moated defense tower was built on the site of today's Oberau castle. The specialty of this residential tower is the internal stairs and the external living rooms. In 1550, Ernst von Miltitz had an impressive, elongated new building built in the Renaissance style with accentuated gable tops next to the residential tower. In 1594 the building was thoroughly redesigned to create a renaissance castle.

In the 17th century painted wooden ceilings were installed in the castle, but their boards were used in a different way from 1807. The painting was retained. In 1803 the construction of Oberau Castle was restored. Valuable stucco work was created during this construction work. In the period from 1807 to 1878, the manor received its form that is characteristic of today. At the beginning of this period in particular, the castle got its striking appearance. Traditions from the end of 1853 tell of a single bridge - probably a drawbridge - that led across the moat to the castle. In 1860 the northeast wing was built, the style of which was adapted to the existing parts of the building. This gave the castle an angular floor plan and aneo-Gothic stair tower.

After the end of the Second World War, displaced persons were quartered in the castle. The entire building was occupied from the basement to the roof. After some families moved away, some rooms were rebuilt. In the period that followed, ten displaced families still found accommodation in the castle. These conversions were later also used by a children's home. As there was not enough space for the children's home, plans were made to demolish the castle. The demolition is delayed, however, as the resettlement families still lived in the castle. In 1946 the manor building was redesigned so that it could be used for other purposes. The large palace gardens were also significantly affected by the renovations.

References:

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User Reviews

Marc Staples (17 months ago)
A nice old moated castle, which is currently undergoing detailed renovations and refurbishing. The castle dates back to 1274 and is one of the oldest castles in Saxony.There is also no water surrounding the castle, due to the renovations, so a visit is not very useful as the building is covered with scaffolding. But when the renovations are finsihed, which depend heavily on funding, then the castle will certainly be a gem and then worth a visit. It also has a nice parks to the left and right of the building and a children's playground on the left side. I gave it 3 stars becuase of the renovations.

Maiko Dädelow (2 years ago)
Nice place

Annett P. (2 years ago)
Small, fairytale moated castle, which unfortunately has fallen into disrepair. It is being restored but depends on donations. A box for donations is set up at the "Big Oak". The area is beautiful and there is a great children's playground in the adjacent park. Worth a visit. ??

Marcela Thurzová (3 years ago)
The moated castle Oberau is one of the oldest still preserved castles of its kind in Germany. Yes, the condition corresponds to the age (in the year 1274 reports are already being made about the construction of the first defensive tower), a pity that the means are missing to bring it back to its splendor ...

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