Gatow Castle

As early as around 1225, a defensive castle is presumed to have existed in Gartow, serving to ward off Slavic influences. In the same year, a Conrad von Gartow was first mentioned in documents. The Lords of Gartow owned numerous estates in the vicinity. The former castle complex consisted of an outer and inner bailey, surrounded by a moat. The area around Gartow was long disputed between the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Principality of Lüneburg. In 1360, the castle was sold to the Order of St. John. When the Order sold Gartow to the Knights of Bülow from Dannenberg in 1483, Brandenburg again asserted claims. For over a century, the von Bülow family skillfully exploited the interests of the Welf and Ascania princely houses to their advantage, expanding their property. In 1694, Andreas Gottlieb von Bernstorff, a minister of the Brunswick-Lüneburg prince, acquired the dilapidated Bülow estate after having enforced Brandenburg's renunciation of all claims. He led Gartow to economic prosperity.