Schelenburg Castle

The Schelenburg in Schledehausen is a moated castle and one of the oldest castle complexes in the Osnabrück/Lower Saxony region.

The castle was first documented in 1160 but is estimated to date back to the 11th century. Its oldest part is the Gothic residential tower. It has a wall thickness of 2.5 meters and stands on oak piles. In the Middle Ages, it was completely surrounded by water and could only be reached via a ladder to the first floor. The formerly multi-tiered moat system around the castle complex is still partially preserved today.

Until the end of the 14th century, the castle was the ancestral seat of the noble lords of Sledesen. In 1396, the castle passed to the von Schele family after Rabodo von Schele married the heiress Elisabeth von Sledesen. Since then, the castle has remained in family ownership; the forest property is now managed by Joachim Kellermann von Schele.

In 1490, a fire destroyed residential and farm buildings, but the massive residential tower was spared. From approximately 1500 to 1532, a Renaissance building made of quarry sandstone was erected on the foundations of the burned-down residence. The renowned South German master builder Jörg Unkair completed the construction in the style of the Weser Renaissance.

Since the mid-1980s, the castle has undergone extensive renovation, including a new roof. The old castle kitchen now houses the main room of a gastronomic establishment. The restaurant is located in a cross vault. Outside, a terrace adjoins the moat. Inside, another dining room with a barrel vault forms the transition to the Gothic part of the castle. A hall on the upper floor of the Gothic tower is available for events. Below it is a room for weddings conducted by the Bissendorf registry office.

The moated castle is a tourist attraction of the municipality of Bissendorf and its district Schledehausen (named after the noble family Sledesen). It is located about 12 kilometers east of Osnabrück between the Wiehengebirge and Teutoburg Forest on district road 324 (Osning Route) just before the western entrance to Schledehausen.