Discover Stadthagen: Castle, Old Town and Hotels

Discover Stadthagen through a range of historical themes: the Renaissance castle with its old castle park, the Old Town with its restored half-timbered buildings, and reminders of the town’s history and culture. When planning your trip, you can choose between exploring independently, joining an offered town tour, or following the Loccum-Volkenroda Pilgrims’ Way. The town garden also makes its own statement with its Baroque design.

Castle and Gardens

The castle was built between 1534 and 1544 on the site of an earlier moated castle. Dating from 1534, the Renaissance castle is the oldest and most significant monument from this period in Lower Saxony. The former moated castle and the later castle building thus mark different historical phases at the same location.

The old castle park, enclosed by a wall, is open to visitors. Winding paths and groups of trees define the grounds, which offer views of the castle. When planning a walk, you can combine views of the Renaissance building with a stroll through the historic park.

Stadthagen’s town garden has a different design. The Baroque garden features open spaces, landscaped flower beds, water features and mature trees. While views of the castle and winding paths are highlights of the castle park, the planned garden areas and water features define the character of the town garden.

Old Town, Walking Tour and Pilgrims’ Way

Visitors can explore Stadthagen independently on the historic town walk. Classic Old Town tours through lanes lined with restored half-timbered buildings are also available. Various themed tours focus on the town’s history. This means you can choose between an independent walk and guided ways to discover the historic streets and their history.

The “Stadthagen sehenswert” leaflet offers two suggested routes for exploring the Old Town. If you would rather follow a long-distance route, you can consider the Loccum-Volkenroda Pilgrims’ Way, which passes directly through Stadthagen. The two routes differ in scale: the suggested routes cover the Old Town, while the Pilgrims’ Way is a route that passes through the town.

Museum and Art History

The Amtspforte Museum displays exhibits about Stadthagen’s past civic and economic life, as well as Schaumburg’s cultural history. The building was a courthouse and administrative building dating from 1553. The museum thus focuses on both the history of the town and the cultural history of Schaumburg.

An important work of art can be found in the mausoleum of Prince Ernst of Holstein-Schaumburg, next to St. Martini Church in Stadthagen: the marble and bronze tomb “The Resurrection of Christ.” Adriaen de Vries created the tomb between 1617 and 1622. Its materials, title and date of creation give this work a distinctive place among Stadthagen’s art-historical points of interest.

Stadthagen within the wider Schaumburg destination

For regional orientation, Stadthagen is part of the wider Schaumburg destination. Schaumburg district can be reached by car, train and even by boat via the Mittelland Canal. A major east-west railway line runs through the district, with stations in Stadthagen and Bückeburg and smaller stations in Lindhorst and Kirchhorsten. This regional rail connection should be distinguished from exploring the castle grounds and Old Town locally.

The district as a whole is also shaped by its landscapes and cultural connections: to the northeast, the district borders Lake Steinhude near Hagenburg; to the south, the Weser River and the Weser Uplands define the landscape. The Weser Renaissance Route serves as a guide for art and history enthusiasts. Regional orientation and Stadthagen’s specific points of interest thus complement one another, without equating the district’s attractions with those of the town.

Discover more destinations: Meerbeck, Apelern, Bad Eilsen, Obernkirchen, Hagenburg, Wiedenbrügge, Auhagen, Bad Nenndorf.

View the broader travel overview: Schaumburg.