Großheide Castle

The so-called Schloss Großheide in the municipality of the same name in the district of Aurich is a former manor house in East Frisia.

The complex is located on the southern edge of the town on Schlossstraße. Around 1900, the Ten Doornkaat family bought land in Großheide. It is said that Kommerzienrat Jan (III.) ten Doornkaat Koolmann acquired "wastelands" and barren lands totaling 1,045 Morgen (267 hectares) in Großheide/Menstede-Coldinne, in order to use the spent grain from the Norder distillery for cattle feed in the planned fattening farm there. The areas, purchased for 347,000 Marks, consisted of 5/6 heathland and 1/6 cultivated green space at the time of acquisition. As can be seen from other sources, further plots of land must have been added, because after the completion of the buildings, about 300 hectares of arable land, meadows, and remaining heathland belonged to the estate.

On this site, the Friederikenfeld estate was built, named after the first name of the owner's mother. In 2010, the former Großheide school center was renamed "Friederikenschule" in memory of the mother of the former owner of the "Schloss Großheide" estate. At that time, according to the Doornkaat AG business report from 1906, the "Schloss Großheide" estate consisted of several cattle sheds, a solidly built barn, and two field barns. Furthermore, a steward's residence with a stable and three workers' dwellings belonged to the property. The livestock included 16 dairy cows, 26 horses, and 70 working oxen, which were used for cultivating the heathland. The large ox stable was located almost exactly where the Volks- und Raiffeisenbank Großheide stands today. The agricultural equipment and machinery included a complete threshing set, which was driven by a locomobile, later by an electric motor.

The so-called castle was built in 1901 as the estate manager's residence for the Ten Doornkaat family (Doornkaat AG Norden) in the entrance area of the estate on the country road Großheide/Berumerfehn (today Großheide, Schlossstraße/Großheider Straße).

Until the First World War, the arable land and meadows directly belonging to the estate and used until then were also offered for sale. In 1919, the majority of the buildings and remaining lands passed into the possession of the then district of Norden.

The castle building, at that time owned by the district of Aurich, has been used as a restaurant (Schloßgaststätte), for training purposes, and privately after its sale. In 2006, it underwent a core renovation.

In 2007, the children and youth welfare institution "Schloss Großheide" GmbH, today's Renial human care projects GmbH, (managing partner René Meyer) became the owner.

Today, "Schloss Großheide" houses ten children and young people in the so-called "Wohngruppe Schloss Großheide" of Ostfriesische Kinder-, Jugend- und Familienhilfe GmbH (OKJFH), which was founded in 2007 by the then sole shareholder and managing director René Meyer.

In June 2012, the founder of the company, René Meyer, sold his shares in OKJFH to Leinerstift. OKJFH thus became a subsidiary and tenant of "Schloss Großheide".