Winsen is the capital of the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the small river Luhe, near its confluence with the Elbe, approx. 25 km southeast of Hamburg, and 20 km northwest of Lüneburg.
Winsen Castle was first mentioned explicitly in 1315. Another document from 1277 indicates that the castle probably already existed at that time. The castle served long periods of its history as an administrative building and was the seat of Großvögte, Amtmänner and Landräte. Today, it is the seat of the Amtsgericht; therefore, the rooms are generally not open to the public. In 2008, an exhibition was opened in the castle tower.
Marstall
The Marstall was originally used for horse and carriage. Although a timber beam shows the year 1599, the year of construction is unknown. Today, the four-story half-timbered building contains the tourist information center, the public library, the museum of local history and an event room. On the eastern gable, a modern carillon is installed.
Church of Saint Mary
The construction of the late Gothichall church started around 1415. The choir was covered in 1437, the nave in 1465. The church has only one side aisle and the vault of the nave never was finished. In the 1950s, the interior decoration was changed. The colorful windows were designed and produced by Claus Wallner between 1958 and 1966. The altarpiece, the baptismal font and the bronze pulpit plates were made by Fritz Fleer. Friedrich Meinecke, born in Winsen, created the statue of Luther. Like the 62-meter-high neo-Gothic bell tower, it was completed in 1899.
Blaufärberhaus
The oldest still existing residential house is located in the Luhestraße. The Blaufärberhaus was built on the Luhe island immediately after the great town fire in 1585. The gable is richly decorated with Renaissance motifs. The building is not open to the public.
Saint George's Chapel
Formerly outside the town, a leprosarium, the St. Georg foundation, was established in 1401. The chapel was first documented in 1445. The present hospital building was constructed in 1766, the chapel was built in 1750 and got its current appearance in 1903.
Further buildings
Historic buildings of the old town are situated on the Luhe island, specifically in Deichstraße, Mühlenstraße, Luhestraße and Kehrwieder. The Alte Stadtschule was erected in Eckermannstraße in 1893 in historicism style. It is the oldest school in Winsen and nowadays a pure primary school. In the upper floor of the main building, there is a historic auditorium that is used for events. On the opposite side of the street, the gymnasium of the MTV Winsen built in 1889 was located. It was destroyed to the ground in a fire in April 2016. The half-timbered building was the first gymnasium in Winsen. The historic town hall was built in 1896. The former Amtsschreiberhaus was mentioned in a document in 1714. The hotel "Zum Weißen Roß" already existed in 1684. It was the residence of Edwin von Manteuffel, commander of the Prussian Army in Austro-Prussian War, in 1866. The carefully restored Buchengasse, a connection between Rathausstraße and Plankenstraße, invites to linger. The ducal watermill was first mentioned in 1385 and moved to the southern end of the Luhe island in 1750. The brick facade was added in 1940.
