Top 20 Castles around Apelern

The later manor emerged from one or more farms. The two-story manor house is striking, surrounded by a wide moat and accessible via three bridges. The basement and ground floor are made of quarry stone masonry - largely unplastered - while the high upper floor is a half-timbered building with plastered compartments. The building was probably built in the 16th century. As a half-timbered building, it is one of the older manor houses in the Calenberger Land. Beginning of the 17th century. The (first) renovations have been carried out, which is indicated by a bay window on the east side designed in the Renaissance style with "1611" as the year of construction. In 1866, further renovations were carried out in the neo-Gothic style, with parts of the external masonry being massively replaced and the stone stair tower, a gallery, a bay window and a turret being added. The manor includes a spacious park with old trees. The avenue that begins behind the park and leads to the Munzeler Mark forest is remarkable. The manor goes back to property owned by the Counts of Schaumburg, who gave it out as a fiefdom. This was associated with a seat in the knight's curia of the Calenberg state estates (state parliament) and exemption from the sovereign's service obligations. In 1743 Georg Reinhard Langwerth v. Simmern, ancestor of the current owners, the manor. Source: https://www.barsinghausen.de/portal/seiten/wichtringhausen-903000177-20002.html

The moated castle shell de, near Hanover, located in the valley between Deister and Süntel, was built between 1529 and 1548 as a four-winged complex. It is a typical example of an early Renaissance building in the Weser area. The outstanding art-historical value of the castle lies in the original structure of the 16th century. The moated castle and the courtyard buildings are listed buildings and have been extensively restored over the past thirty years. The entire facility and the associated agriculture have been family-owned for over 400 years. Source: https://schloss-huelsede.de/das-schloss/

I almost cycled past it. Unforgivable if you overlook such a sight. https://rittergut-wichtringhausen.de/

The castle is private, but you can visit some parts of the courtyard and take some pictures. At the entrance you will find a nice information table.

The laying of the foundation stone for the moated castle Hülsede took place in the early 16th century. With its four-leaf structure, it is a typical example of Weser Renaissance palaces. Today, the picturesque castle can be rented for events or weddings. A part of the castle courtyard can be visited independently. More information: https://schloss-huelsede.de/

The Heisterburg or Hoysburg auf dem Deister is a fortification that was built in the 10th to 11th centuries as a royal court near Feggendorf (district of Lauenau) in Lower Saxony. The Heisterburg on the Deister is one of the Franconian courts, which were initially considered to be Roman castles and only later turned out to be a royal court. The berm (a flat area between ramparts and ditches) was 2-2½ m wider at the Heisterburg than in Roman camps and forts, even if the defense (with ramparts, ditches, towers or gates) is reminiscent of that of a Limes fort. In addition, a rectangular defensive tower was found in the south-west corner of the courtyard, which jumped inward, but was not completely excavated. Source: https://mittelalter.fandom.com/de/wiki/Heisterburg

With the explanation on the display board and the illustrations, you can understand the elevations in the area and get an impression of the size of the ramparts. Further information is available at Wikipedia https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heisterburg.

From the George Tower you can see Paschenburg Castle at the very top. There's a significant difference in altitude, so it's recommended to visit the tower for a better view. The route from Schaumburg Castle to Paschenburg isn't particularly easy for cyclists.