Private Castles of Lower Saxony
Description:
The magnificent Marienburg Castle was a gift from the last Hanoverian king, George V, to his wife, Mary. The gift met all expectations: without skimping on expenses, the king invited the best architects of his time, Conrad Wilhelm Haze and Edwin Opler, and in 1858 they began the construction of a colossal neo-Gothic castle. Unfortunately, in 1866 the king did not agree with Prussia. After a short war, the Kingdom of Hanover ceased to exist and became a Prussian province. Mary fled to the unworthy castle, which was not annexed, as it was the property of the queen, not the king. A year later, the Queen followed her husband into exile, and the castle doors remained closed for 80 years. Today, the castle is still owned by Prince Ernst-August (permanently residing in Monaco), but fortunately for tourists, its doors are open to everyone. In 2005, a major restoration was carried out, after which the former stables turned into a prestigious restaurant. And although the projects of the prince to turn the castle into Neuschweistein were not fully realized, a visit to the castle makes a strong impression on the guests of Hanover.
Unlike Marienburg, Hamelsheburg Castle on Weser has just under 400 years of history – its construction was completed by 1620. The castle is considered to be the most magnificent building of the Weather Renaissance style, and its location on the water makes the impression especially strong. The first owners of the castle, Jürgen and Anna Klencke, raised 12 children in it! Their descendants managed to defend the castle not only in the year of the 30-year war (1618 - 1648), but also - which was much more difficult! - during the years of Nazism. The Klenke family actively rebelled against the new regime and presented a document dated 1600, according to which all the rights to dispose of the castle and the surrounding areas belonged to their family. Today, the castle is still a private property, but its doors are also open to tourists. Visit the castle is for the collection of furniture, dishes and paintings of the Renaissance and Baroque.
As for Bückeburg Castle, it is the residence of the counts of Schaumburg-Lippe. The castle, surrounded by a magnificent park, is open to the public. In addition, chamber concerts are often held there. But a complete surprise for many guests will be the demonstration performances of lipitianers - yes, those very purebred white horses, which were specially bred for the Viennese court and taught the complex art of dancing to music at the Spanish Riding School in the Vienna Hofburg!
If desired, we can combine the tour in different ways, complementing the inspection of castles with visits to cities, walks on the lake and river, etc.