Another Castle in East Frisia

Remember I was in East Frisia this Summer? I was in Leer, Germany, today, just across the border and finally managed to find one of the four East Frisian castles there: the Haneburg. One of the other castles in Leer looks grander and probably I should give it that one a go in 2017. There is a school in the Haneburg now, but of course it was Saturday, so nothing was open. But it was easy to walk around the rather small building on walking distance of the old town centre of Leer. A part of it looks like it is an extension of the old building.

The first building on this spot was a tower house, built around 1550 by a man called Claes Frese, Sheriff of Leerort. The husband of his granddaughter, Joest Hane, had a new house built in 1621, the present south wing with stairs-tower and knight’s hall. A simple Renaissance building that in 1671 was extended with a west wing by his son Diedrich Arnold.

Around 1978 the town of Leer had the castle renovated. Luckily part of the old gate as well as some ornaments on the building itself have been kept. The small garden is not very interesting anymore … just found one small ornament left that looks a bit lost. However when you come, like me, via the Haneburgallee – leading to the old gate – it still looks nice from a distance.

4 thoughts on “Another Castle in East Frisia

  1. Hi Netty Wij waren dit weekend (nu net terug) ook in Leer, Schloss Evensburg, al 2x geweest echt mooi, eertijds van de familie Grafen von Wedel.

    We waren ook in Oldenburg en Worpswede… grBearn

    1. Jammer dat ik jullie niet toevallig heb getroffen. Leer is altijd leuk, maar ik ben nog nooit aan de kastelen toegekomen daar. Ze liggen natuurlijk ook buiten het centrum. En de fiets meenemen is op het moment met dat gedeeltelijke busvervoer ook niet zo handig. Ik heb van het zomer het boekje “Burgen und Schlösser in Ostfriesland” van GĂ¼nter G.A. Marklein gekocht. Het zijn er maar 13 of zo, maar een paar zien er toch wel interessant uit om eens te gaan bekijken.

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