The Evenburg is a

water castle A water castle is a castle whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle st ...

in the village of Loga (

Leer Leer may refer to: * Leer, Lower Saxony, town in Germany ** Leer (district), containing the town in Lower Saxony, Germany ** Leer (Ostfriesland) railway station * Leer, South Sudan, town in South Sudan ** Leer County, an administrative division of ...

) in north Germany ( East Frisia/Ostfriesland) not far from the

River Leda Leda is a river in north-western Germany in the state of Lower Saxony. The Leda is a right tributary of the Ems and originates at the confluence of the Sagter Ems and the Dreyschloot (a branch of the Soeste) near Barßel. The Leda flows into th ...

History

It was built by Colonel Erhard Reichsfreiherr von Ehrentreuter of Hofrieth (1596-1664), commander of the Dutch

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

, between the years 1642 and 1650. He named the castle after his wife Eva, Baroness Ungnad, of

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, whom he had married in 1631. Colonel von Ehrentreuter had been enfeoffed with Loga and the neighbouring village of Logabirum by Count Ulrich II of East Frisia to pay off his considerable gambling debts. Marie von Ehrentreuter (1633-1702), the youngest daughter of the colonel, married Gustav Wilhelm Freiherr von Wedel (1641-1717) who came from Königsberg. The later

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

of the Danish King Christian became the new lord of Evenburg and also the Governor of

Oldenburg Land Oldenburg Land (german: Oldenburger Land) is a region and regional association in the German state of Lower Saxony in the area of the former Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (1815–1918), the later Free State of Oldenburg (1918–1946) and administrativ ...

. In 1684, having amassed a considerable fortune, he bought the

Jarlsberg Jarlsberg was a former countship that forms a part of today's Vestfold county in Norway. The former countships of Jarlsberg and Larvik were merged into a county in 1821. Jarlsberg and Larvik's County (''Jarlsberg og Larviks amt'') were renamed ...

near Christiania (Oslo) in Norway as well. From that time onwards, the von Wedels were given the title of Count. Descendants of the von Wedel family, whose main residence today is Gödens Castle in the parish of Sande, occupied the Evenburg for centuries.

Architecture

In 1861/62, the building, which was one of the earliest examples of classical architecture in the Dutch style, was badly in need of repair and was largely demolished. Only the foundation walls and the vault of the old transept in the centre were incorporated into the new residence, which was otherwise executed in the Neo-Gothic style; its architect being Richard Stueve from Hanover. During the Second World War (1939-1945) the castle was badly damaged. The filigreed roof structures could not be restored, the roof was covered very simply.

After extensive renovation work the Evenburg is now home to various institutions including the Education Academy of East Frisia and a college for grammar school teachers. Until a few years ago it also housed the district media centre for Leer district, who had acquired the Evenburg in June 1975 along with its estates for about seven million deutschmarks from the von Wedels. Its attractions include the long double

avenue Avenue or Avenues may refer to: Roads * Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees) * Avenue Road, Bangalore * Avenue Road, ...

, which leads from the town of Leer to the castle, the baroque bastion (''Vorburg'') of 1703 (home to the district music school), the hallway, the remains of the old stables and the extensive landscaped park in the style of an English garden with paths to the Ledadeich (dyke). By 2006 the Evenburg had been returned to its appearance in the mid-19th century. The neo-Gothic roof and many interior details were restored. It was opened in January 2007. The castle may be visited as part of a guided tours. The hall (''Saal'') and the bastion host concerts and other events.

Sources

* Bärenfänger, Rolf (1996). ''Archäologie im Park des Schlosses Evenburg in Loga''. Wegweiser zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte Niedersachsens 26. Oldenburg:Isensee Verlag, . * Braukmüller, Heide and Neumann, Detlev (1996). ''Zur Geschichte der Evenburg.'' Leer:Reinhard, . * Gerdes, Klaus (2008). ''Naturkundlicher Führer durch den Evenburgpark in Loga'', Leer:Landkreis Leer,

External links

A. Moser on the excavations in 2004
{{Coord, 53, 13, 52, N, 7, 29, 41, E, region:DE_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Castles in Lower Saxony Water castles in Germany Buildings and structures in Leer (district) History of East Frisia Gardens in Lower Saxony