Can the Wasserburg Merzhausen still be visited?

No, the building was demolished between 1734 and 1750; only two gate posts and a slight mound remain on the Burgwiese.

Where exactly did this castle stand?

It stood in the center of Merzhausen, just west of the village church, on the site now called the Burggarten.

How old was this fortified site?

A fortified noble residence there is first recorded in 1258, before later being expanded into a proper moated castle.

Who owned the Wasserburg Merzhausen over the centuries?

It passed through the families von Biedenfeld, Kuppel, von Rückershausen, Schetzel and von Hattenbach, before reverting to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel as a state domain.

Why did the castle disappear?

Having fallen into disrepair, it was torn down after Landgrave Charles bought the domain in 1707, with its stones reused around 1735 for a new estate building.

Wasserburg Merzhausen

Willingshausen

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where: Willingshausen

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

Wasserburg Merzhausen stands in Willingshausen (Schwalm-Eder-Kreis), in Hesse, Germany. No visits are on record for this building.

The Wasserburg Merzhausen in Willingshausen refers to a moated castle that no longer stands: only two gate posts remain in a meadow known as the Burgwiese, along with faint traces of the mound that once carried the building. The site, in the middle of the village of Merzhausen, is now occupied by what is called the Burggarten. Nothing survives of the half-timbered upper floors on stone bases, nor of the Renaissance stepped gable once described on the Weitershausen family's residence. A visit here means tracing a vanished structure through two stone remnants and the lie of the land.

What to know

This is not a castle to visit in the usual sense: only two gate posts and a slight rise in the ground remain.
The site lies in the middle of Merzhausen village, on the spot now called the Burggarten, between Judengasse and Erbsengasse.
There are no opening hours or admission fees, since no building has survived and nothing is open to the public.
The plot known as the Burgwiese, where the remains stand, is located at Erbsengasse 8.
The main building of the former Weitershausischer Hof, next to the village church, still stands but is separate from the Wasserburg remains themselves.

Where this château is

Willingshausen · Schwalm-Eder-Kreis · Hessen

Map of the area around Wasserburg Merzhausen

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

34628 Willingshausen

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

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Heritage status: Protection status unknown

Frequently asked

Can the Wasserburg Merzhausen still be visited?: No, the building was demolished between 1734 and 1750; only two gate posts and a slight mound remain on the Burgwiese.
Where exactly did this castle stand?: It stood in the center of Merzhausen, just west of the village church, on the site now called the Burggarten.
How old was this fortified site?: A fortified noble residence there is first recorded in 1258, before later being expanded into a proper moated castle.
Who owned the Wasserburg Merzhausen over the centuries?: It passed through the families von Biedenfeld, Kuppel, von Rückershausen, Schetzel and von Hattenbach, before reverting to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel as a state domain.
Why did the castle disappear?: Having fallen into disrepair, it was torn down after Landgrave Charles bought the domain in 1707, with its stones reused around 1735 for a new estate building.