Burg Schaumburg

10/05/2026

18/02/2026

Starting a new exciting and full time chapter with my fantastic wife Vanessa Wittgenstein after many years within Investment Banking, the Armed Forces and Industry, to restore the Burg Schaumburg in Lower Saxony, Germany, and turn it into a sustainable long term viable place to bring people together.

Burg Schaumburg is the ancestral seat of the Counts of Schaumburg (also known as Schauenburg), first documented in 1110 with Adolf I. Closely aligned with Lothair III, Duke of Saxony and later Holy Roman Emperor. The Schaumburg family after which the Burg and the region are named rose to prominence in the 12th century. Enfeoffed with Holstein and Stormarn, the Schaumburg dynasty became the most influential German princely house on the Baltic coast for three and a half centuries, until 1459. Their rule significantly shaped the rise of the Hanseatic cities of Hamburg and Lübeck.

The family and Burg emblem, the “Nesselblatt” (nettle leaf), derived from a legend associated with the Nesselberg hill on which the burg is built, remains present in regional and Schleswig-Holstein heraldry. Strategically located along the Weser valley between major medieval bishoprics, the burg controlled an important trans-European trade route. Around 1400, following conflicts with the Welf dynasty, Count Otto I expanded it into the largest hilltop fortress in the Weser region, protected by extensive fortifications.

After serving as a dynastic residence, administrative center, and widow’s seat, the main building was rebuilt in 1595 in the Weser Renaissance style. Acquired and restored by Emperor Wilhelm II between 1907 and 1912, the castle also witnessed heavy fighting in April 1945. Today, it stands as a monument of national historical significance.

The Vorburg (Gatehouse) will become a health retreat (available to rent per week only and opening in the summer of 2026 for the mind, body and soul whilst the majority of the HauptBurg (Main burg) will become a conference and wedding location venue in the future, The burg grounds are open to the public and major renovations will be put in hand during 2026.

10/02/2026

Edinburgh - lunch with George my stepfather at our Club !

13/01/2026

One of the coolest high seats in the making i have seen for years.

13/01/2026

🔦✨ Wichtige Info zur morgigen Taschenlampenführung an der Burg Schaumburg✨🔦

Aktuell ist das Burggelände aufgrund der winterlichen Witterungsverhältnisse der letzten Tage noch nicht sicher begehbar und deshalb noch gesperrt. Daher findet die Führung am Mittwoch, 14.01.2026, zu unserem Bedauern nicht statt.

Uns ist wichtig, dass ihr auch die Burg Schaumburg sicher erleben könnt; daher verschieben wir die morgige Führung um eine Woche ❄️🌨️

Neuer Termin:
📅 Mittwoch, 21.01.2026
🕕 18:00 – 19:00 Uhr
📍 Treffpunkt: Parkplatz unterhalb der Burg (Burgstraße)
🔦 Taschenlampen werden gestellt – eigene dürfen gern mitgebracht werden

Vielen Dank für euer Verständnis – wir freuen uns darauf, euch hoffentlich bald wieder begrüßen zu dürfen! 🔦🏰

05/01/2026

Happy 2026

21/12/2025

Today is the shortest day of the year !

In parts of Europe it was seen as the symbolic death and rebirth of the Sun. Some ancient monuments such as Newgrange, Stonehenge, and Cahokia Woodhenge are aligned with the sunrise or sunset on the winter solstice.

16/12/2025