Klein-Schonebeck Castle

The estate was first mentioned in documents at the end of the 14th century. It was owned by the Lords of Schonebeck from the end of the 14th century to the middle of the 16th century. Presumably, Klein-Schonebeck emerged from a division of property from Haus Groß-Schonebeck. In contrast to Haus Groß-Schonebeck, Klein-Schonebeck remained in the possession of the Lords of Schonebeck until the middle of the 16th century. Afterwards, the house passed through various inheritances to the family von Brabeck zu Brabeck, to the Lords of Aschebrock, and to the Lords of Westerholt.

The two-story manor house dates from around 1520 and was built for Hinrich von Schonebeck. It is a rectangular brick building with ashlar masonry and ancient stepped gables with pinnacles placed at the corners on the north and south walls. The octagonal stair tower was added in 1587. In the same year, further interior alterations were made to the house. Initially, the entrance was in the middle of the north side, until it was eventually moved to the position next to the stair tower. In the second half of the 17th century, further interior construction measures were undertaken. Originally, Haus Klein-Schonebeck was a classic two-island complex, surrounded on all sides by water and ring walls. Today, the moats are partially filled in. Furthermore, only insignificant remains of the outer bailey buildings are still present.