Schloss Wietersheim

Schloss Wietersheim stands in Petershagen’s Wietersheim district, nine kilometres north of Minden. The castle occupies a middle terrace on the Weser’s eastern bank, surrounded by sandy meadows near river kilometre 210.

Built in 1323, the complex served for centuries as a knight’s estate and commandery of the Order of St John. Border disputes between the Prince-Bishopric of Minden and the County of Schaumburg repeatedly brought destruction, while the original half-timbered buildings later gave way to a solid chapel. Around 1810, that chapel became the compact octagonal structure in the classical style.

Baron Carl von Schlotheim lived here with Félicité-Mélanie Legarde, daughter of Jérôme Bonaparte, who became Countess of Wietersheim in 1810. After heavy damage during its post-war use for displaced people, reconstruction began once the confiscation ended. The private property remains closed to the public, and its present garden replaces three areas lost after the Second World War.