Burg Schlüsselburg

Burg Schlüsselburg stands in Schlüsselburg, a district of Petershagen in Germany. The surviving building belongs to the local architectural heritage and forms the remainder of an originally two-winged castle. Picturesque surroundings still reveal remnants of the former moat.

Bishop Ludwig of Minden built the first castle in 1335 as an outpost against attacks from the north. The Counts of Hoya held a stronghold at Stolzenau. Financial difficulties later led the bishopric to pledge the castle to noble families, including von Münchhausen and von Klencke. Its military importance declined during the fifteenth century. After the Thirty Years’ War, the building became the administrative house of the Schlüsselburg district.

The present structure replaced the earlier buildings between 1581 and 1585. The north wing disappeared during the nineteenth century. From 1846, the town housed its district administration there until 1934 and a school until 1961. The Swoboda family acquired and restored the castle in 1971, and private ownership now keeps the interior closed to visitors. Since at least 1935, a stork’s nest has rested on the chimney of the north gable.