The Essenrode Manor in Essenrode, a town within the municipality of Lehre,

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

, was built by Gotthart Heinrich August von Bülow in 1738.

Description

The mansion is built in a late

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 ...

style surrounded by a small English-style park. The park grounds are surrounded by a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

that once included a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

, which was part of earlier fortifications built in 1337. To provide extra protection, these fortifications were constructed and surrounded by outbuildings.

History

The property has been owned by three different families throughout its history. From 1337 to 1625 it was owned by the ''von Garssenbüttel'' family. In 1627, ownership was transferred to the aristocratic family von Bülow, who controlled the property for the next 210 years (1627 to 1837). The von Bulow's built the current mansion as it is today. Former Prussian, Kingdom of Westphalia and Duchy of Magdeburg politician, Hans, Count von Bülow, was born here in 1774. In 1750, Karl August von Hardenberg,

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, ...

n reformer and

Minister President of Prussia The Minister-President (), or Prime Minister, of Prussia was the head of government of the Prussian state. The office existed from 1848, when it was formed by Frederick William IV of Prussia, King Frederick William IV during the German revolutio ...

, whose mother was a ''von Bülow'', was born in the mansion. Karl spent much of his childhood at the mansion and it's during this time that many of his future reforms were developed. Since 1837 it has belonged to the Lower Saxon noble family ', bastard descendants of the

House of Welf The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meuse-Mo ...

(descending from

Augustus the Elder, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg Augustus the Elder, Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (18 November 1568 – 1 October 1636) was the Lutheran Diocese of Ratzeburg, Bishop of Ratzeburg from 1610 to 1636 and the Principality of Lüneburg, Prince of Lünebur ...

Literature

* Hans Adolf Schultz: ''Burgen, Schlösser und Herrensitze im Raum Gifhorn-Wolfsburg.'' Gifhorn 1985

References

{{Reflist Lehre Windmills Tourist attractions in Lower Saxony Houses completed in 1738