Mittelhof Manor

In Neuental-Gilsa, Hesse, stands the Mittelhof Gilsa, a historic manor and estate house, once built as a moated castle. It is the oldest building in the village and was the original ancestral seat of the noble family von und zu Gilsa, before the family split into different lines.

The complex was built in the mid-15th century as a closed, almost square lowland castle with four round corner towers and a drawbridge over a surrounding moat. During the Thirty Years' War, specifically in 1635, the castle was destroyed. Subsequently, it was rebuilt on the old foundations as an estate. In 1730, the moat was drained and the drawbridge was replaced by a solid causeway. At the same time, a gate passage was created in the southern wing. Later added half-timbered wings were demolished. Above the archway, a late Gothic alliance coat of arms can be seen, and in the courtyard, there are two coat of arms stones dating from 1684. The so-called “Entensteine” (duck stones) on the east side commemorate the former duck population.