Top 3 Castles in Bremen

Wätjens Castle is currently inhabited by the artist Peter K. F. Krüger. One of his well-known works is the facade painting "Grandma and Grandpa" on Rembertiring in Bremen.

The park has existed since 1830. With the outbreak of the First World War, Wätjen, once the world's largest private sailing ship company, experienced its financial decline, and the park fell into a deep sleep. Only since Wätjen's Park became the property of the City of Bremen at the turn of the millennium has it been possible to gradually restore the landscape park according to its 19th-century design principles, and to preserve and develop it for future generations.

Beautiful brick castle in Wätjens Park.

In 1830, the Bremen merchant and shipowner Diedrich Heinrich Wätjen had purchased land for a summer residence on the Geest ridge between Vegesack and Blumenthal and had a country house built. From 1830 onwards, he had the park surrounding the building laid out in the style of a spacious English landscape garden according to plans by the landscape gardener Isaak Altmann. His son Christian Heinrich Wätjen expanded the property. The original house was replaced by a castle-like villa in the English Tudor Gothic style, which was built between 1858 and 1864 according to plans by the Bremen architect Heinrich Müller. The park is now known as Wätjens Park. In 1916, the Wätjen family sold the country estate, which had been converted into a military hospital at the start of the First World War. The park was divided between the neighboring industrial companies Bremer Vulkan and Bremer Wollkämmerei (BWK). The castle belonged to the Vulkan part. The pointed roof of the higher tower was removed during the Second World War. After the war, the roof and some gables were destroyed by fire. The roof was only temporarily rebuilt and made much flatter. After the Vulkan went bankrupt in 1997, the park portion was auctioned off privately. The city of Bremen later acquired the park land from this buyer and the BWK. The castle and other residential buildings remained in private ownership with the associated land. The plan to set up a restaurant in the castle was not realized. It contains apartments and the studio of an artist.

A place worth seeing in Blumenthal

A castle in Bremen? You can find it in the northern district of Blumenthal. The castle complex at the confluence of the Aue and Becke was built by robber barons in 1354. The medieval moated castle has been a listed building since 1973. In 1969 and 1971, paintings were discovered on the wooden ceilings of the Blomendal house. They were completely protected by a second high ceiling that was added later and are still well preserved today. Source: https://www.bremen.de/tourismus/burg-blomendal

The castle complex at the confluence of the Aue and Becke was built in 1354 by the Knights of Oumünde, members of the Stedinge family and friendly knights. This was done contrary to the wording of a peace treaty from 1305 that the Archbishop of Bremen had concluded with the Knights of the Monastery. One of the conditions of this treaty was the destruction of the first Blumenthal castle, which was located a few hundred meters north of the current one above the flood plain. The builders and residents of the House of Blomendal from 1354 were, like their ancestors, robber barons who caused considerable damage to Bremen's trade. Originally, the building that still exists was secured by a defensive tower and fortifications. A drawbridge spanned the moat. A gate led into the courtyard under what is now the Hoyer Hall. The sandstone slabs in the castle courtyard mark the course of the foundations of the tower and defensive wall. The castle included a watermill and a gatekeeper's house. According to current knowledge, the main building and the gate wing have been preserved in their original floor plan - with the exception of the gate system. Office building - now kindergarten -, coach house and barn were added later. Defensive wall, defensive tower and stepped gable were destroyed or dismantled. (Source: https://www.burgblomendal.de/index.php/ueber-die-burg/wie-alt-ist-die-burg-blomendal.html, as of April 1, 2024)

Blomendal Castle, built in 1354, is named under various names in old files and protocols. According to a document from September 1380, the owners of Blomendal undertake to keep their "slot" (castle) open to Bremen. Here is the passage: "Wy Hinrik van Oumunde (further names of knights and squires follow) confesses and bethuget (testify) ... dat unze slote tho Blomendale unde Hude....open slote wezen..." Quite obviously the term castle is used here in connection with locked, i.e. fortified militarily. https://www.burgblomendal.de/index.php/ueber-die-burg.html