Berum Castle
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Berum Castle is located in the Berum district the East Frisian town of Hage in Germany. It is one of the most important sites in East Frisian history.


History

The castle is first mentioned in a document of 1310, as the seat of a member of the ''Syrtza'' (or ''Sytze'') family, who was a
chieftain A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...
of the Norden area. It is not known exactly when the castle was built, or for how long that family had already resided at the location. In the 15th century, the castle was inherited by the
Cirksena The House of Cirksena was the ruling family of East Frisia (). They descended from a line of East Frisian chieftains from Greetsiel. East Frisia In 1439, in the wake of clashes between different lines of chieftains, the town of Emden was first ...
family. In 1443, Count Ulrich I of East Frisia expanded the castle to a
château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...
, consisting of a main castle with three wings, plus a front castle. On 1 June 1445, he celebrated his marriage to Theda Ukena, the granddaughter of his main rival, Focko Ukena, in Berum Castle. Since then, the castle has played a significant rôle in the history of
East Frisia East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...
. Adolph, the son of Count Gerhard VI of Oldenburg, was held captive at Berum Castle from 1465 to 1481{{better source needed, According to his article, Adolph was captive between 1483-1485, date=December 2016 after Oldenburg invaded East Frisia. In the late 16th century, Count Edzard II extended the castle further as a moated castle in
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
style. This extension was completed in 1591 with the construction of a spire. After Edzard's death, his widow, Catherine Vasa of Sweden, a daughter of King
Gustav I of Sweden Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföreståndare'') from 1521, during the on ...
extended the castle further, adding (among other extensions) a chapel. From then on, the castle was used by the Cirksena family as the widow's residence. On 28 January 1600, the Treaty of Berum was signed at the castle. Under this treaty, East Frisia purchased the
Lordships of Esens, Stedesdorf and Wittmund The Lordships of Esens, Stedesdorf and Wittmund (German language, German: ''Herrlichkeiten Esens, Wittmund und Stedesdorf'') formed a contiguous area in the old district of Harlingerland in the north of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian ...
from the County of Rietberg. On 17 April 1628, Berum Castle was the scene of a tragic accident. The imperial army under
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Matthias Gallas had been quartered in the castle. The 26-year-old Count Rudolpf Christian got embroiled in a fight with a
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
of the imperial army. He was stung in his left eye and died of his wound. Under Christine Charlotte, who lived there from 1690 to 1699 as the widow of Prince George Christian, the castle was again renovated, making Berum one of the most magnificent princely palaces in Germany. After
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
took over East Frisia in 1744, there was no more use for a widow's residence and the castle fell into disrepair. The main castle was demolished in 1764, with its precious furniture sold off. Until 1764, Berum Castle had had four wings and a heavy rectangular tower on the northwest corner. It was protected by a massive wall and a double ring moat. The parts remaining today are the front castle, a long brick building attached to the defensive wall with a brick gate tower, and the former
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
gate passage. This portal is flanked by two columns; the
pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
s show the coat of arms of Princess Christine Charlotte. The exterior wall and the outer moat still exist. In the south are the remains of the
Baroque garden The Baroque garden was a style of garden based upon symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. The style originated in the late-16th century in Italy, in the gardens of the Vatican and the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome and in the ...
of 1712. Today the facility is privately owned and serves as a guesthouse. For example, Federal President
Horst Köhler Horst Köhler (; 22 February 1943 – 1 February 2025) was a German politician who served as President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, CDU ...
spent his summer vacation in 2006 at Berum Castle.


External links


Site of the castle


Castles in Lower Saxony House of Cirksena Buildings and structures in Aurich (district) Lowland castles