Rastede Castle

The origins of Rastede Castle lie in a former monastery that lost its spiritual function during the Reformation. Count Christoph of Oldenburg took over the administration of the declining order and, after the last monk left in 1529, built a "comfortable dwelling" at the monastery. Later, in 1612, Count Anton Günther had a large stable constructed, and in 1643, he built a hunting lodge in place of the old abbot's house, which he used as a summer residence. After Anton Günther's death in 1667, the County of Oldenburg and thus the castle fell to the Danish royal line. Between 1701 and 1744, it served as a place of exile for Princess Sophie Eleonore. In 1750, Privy Councillor Christoph Römer acquired the castle and had it remodeled in the Dutch Baroque style.