Schliestedt Castle

The origin of the castle lies in an old fortress, which was probably built as early as the 8th century. Today, only a few ramparts and sunken lanes in the forest between Eitzum and Schliestedt, the aforementioned Burgtal, can be seen from the fortification. The place is first mentioned in a document in 996 as Slistide. The noble possessions of the place belonged to the local noble family von Schliestedt, who were first mentioned in 1147 with Luidolfus de Slistide, until their sale in 1562. The noble family died out around 1613, but the title was re-granted to the estate owner Heinrich Bernhard Schrader in 1736.

After the castle with its associated chapel had fallen into disrepair around 1317, a new parish church was built in the valley at the site of the present-day village. Although its first documented mention was not until 1500, the Romanesque construction of the older nave suggests a much earlier construction date. The tower burned down in 1783 due to arson and had to be rebuilt. The current spire was built in 1887.

The dilapidated castle was replaced by a moated castle, also located in the present-day village, probably built at the same time as the church. When this fell into disrepair in the 18th century, the estate owner Heinrich Bernhard Schrader von Schliestedt had it demolished in 1760 and rebuilt as the still existing Rococo castle on the foundations of the moated castle according to the plans of the engineer Martin Peltier de Belfort. The same estate owner also built a new rectory and a silk spinning mill with its own mulberry plantation on the outskirts of the village and over 300 looms. The rectory and the building of the former silk spinning mill still exist today.