Can you visit the Wasserburg Aue freely?

It is an open-air ruin, and its vaulted stone ground floor remains partly accessible to visitors.

What remains of the Wasserburg Aue today?

Only the stone, U-shaped ground floor survived the 1637 fire; the upper storeys were never rebuilt.

Why is the Wasserburg Aue in ruins?

Croatian troops plundered and burned it in 1637 during the Thirty Years' War, and it was never restored afterwards.

Auer Wasserburg

Wanfried

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Where: Wanfried

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Open within 20 km

Burg Creuzburg (Creuzburg Castle)Open to visitors17 km

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Wasserburg Aue stands in Wanfried (Werra-Meißner-Kreis), in Hesse, Germany. The building is a listed Baudenkmal. Its opening hours and prices have not been verified at the source yet.

The Wasserburg Aue is a ruined moated castle on the edge of the village of Aue, right on the border between Hesse and Thuringia. Building work is thought to have begun around 1200, and what remains most striking today is the stone, vaulted ground floor that survived the fire of 1637 intact. A small tower added in 1920 now houses what is described as Hesse's smallest walk-in museum, displaying finds from the site's excavations.

What to know

The site is visited as an open-air ruin, with a vaulted ground floor that remains largely accessible.
The small museum inside the 1920 tower covers only four square metres and shows finds from the 2004 archaeological excavations.
The moat that once surrounded the U-shaped building has since silted up and no longer holds water.
An oak trunk roughly 400 years old, recovered from the nearby Werratalsee, is displayed outdoors on the grounds.
The site is listed as a Kulturdenkmal in Hesse.

Where this château is

Wanfried · Werra-Meißner-Kreis · Hessen

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

b. Dem Alten Schlosse, 37281 Wanfried-Aue

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

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4.0 / 5from 15 Google reviews

Heritage status: Kulturdenkmal in Hessen

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Frequently asked

Can you visit the Wasserburg Aue freely?: It is an open-air ruin, and its vaulted stone ground floor remains partly accessible to visitors.
What remains of the Wasserburg Aue today?: Only the stone, U-shaped ground floor survived the 1637 fire; the upper storeys were never rebuilt.
Why is the Wasserburg Aue in ruins?: Croatian troops plundered and burned it in 1637 during the Thirty Years' War, and it was never restored afterwards.
Is there a museum on site?: A small tower built in 1920 houses what is described as Hesse's smallest walk-in museum, covering just four square metres.