Bartensleben Castle

The origins of the estate lie in a moated castle that once served as the residence of the Bartensleben family. In the 13th century, this family shifted its focus to the Wolfsburg area. From about 1400, the noble family of Veltheim, originally from Veltheim (Ohe), took over the rule of Bartensleben moated castle. Ludolf I von Veltheim was enfeoffed with the castle site by the Archbishop of Magdeburg, and in 1467 Hilmar I von Veltheim also received the village of Bartensleben. In the mid-18th century, the current Baroque palace was built on the foundations of the old moated castle, which once had three outer bailey. Heinrich Adrian von Veltheim had the palace extended in 1757 to include the central and western wings and furnished the interiors in Rococo style. After World War II in 1945, the Veltheim family was dispossessed, and the palace was used by the Soviet occupation forces and later the NVA.