Sights
The Water
Built on a slavish embankment(rampart) castle in swamp region of Ehle-Aue, the castle was, according to its first mention in the records (948), in German hands. The artificially constructed hill on which the nuclear castle was built is still very recognizable. The initial nuclear castle, today's upper castle with the keep as centre point, was presumable an expansion of a pre-castle from the 12./13 hundreds.
The entire construction was
surrounded by two water
ditches with ramparts lying
between them. The
buildings of the castle
annex were cleared away
with few exceptions in
1578/79 and rebuilt as
hunting home for the
Saxon princes and
dukes. The keep of the
castle was raised and
provided with a southern
European styled roof. The
commonly known „Onion
tower“ of the town had
a height of approx. 40 m
and a wall strength of 3.20 m. The newly constructed buildings served as accommodation for courtly hunting and travelling parties, as
storage areas and above all as a seat of the administration.
However, the outline and total character of the enclosure was more
fitting to that of a castle.
Under rule of the Prussians, a detention centre was installed in the buildings of the castle in 1853. This new purpose was useful to the castle during the political changes of the next 100 years.
From 1954 to 1969, it 
accommodated
disadvantaged women
as "a home of social
support". In 1969/70 it
became a teaching
institute and workshop
for vocational school
teachers and remained
so until 1989. Since
1990 the water castle
has been privatized and
is today a popular tourist
attraction - a place of
excursions to Gommern. The large-scale conversion and redesign of
the original restaurant, house brewery, and hotel resulted and
courtyard now attracts many visitors to knightly dinners, festivals and
castle celebrations. A romantic wedding can also be held in the newly
designed marriage registration room.
