from the seneschal (Drost) of Limberg, Allhard von dem Busche. Attempts by Tecklenburg, to gain ownership of the castle were thus foiled. Reineberg Castle was turned into a strong fortress according to a contemporary account by the Minden cathedral canon, Tribbe, dating to the 15th century. Like almost all castles of this type the Reineburg was often enfeoffed due to its landlord's chronic shortage of money. Around 1525 we find Johann Tribbe as the seneschal of Reineburg. In 1543 the castle was enfeoffed to a widow, Clara of Hatzfeld, and her sons Meinolf and Joachim. Hardly had Bishop George come to power in 1554, when he issued the order to redeem all the enfeoffed castles in his diocese. This therefore also affected the then tenant, Hilmar von Quernheim. He wished to retain his fief however and was actually given an extension of several years until the bishop finally rescinded it in spring 1564. Because Hilmar von Quernheim did not respond, the bishop had the castle stormed on 2 May. But by 1567 Hilmar was again enfeoffed with the castle for twelve years following a treaty. During the Thirty Years' War the castle was badly damaged again and plundered three times: in 1636, 1638 and 1640. On 9 September 1636, Imperial Staff Sergeant (Oberwachtmeister) Heister, had the entire record office on the Reineberge burned. On 28 March 1673 Münster troops captured Lübbecke and Reineberg in the course of the Franco-Dutch War, because Brandenburg was allied with the Netherlands. Then all fell quite around the old episcopal castle - the Principality of Minden being awarded to Brandenburg as part of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. In 1719, Frederick William I decreed the union of the County of Ravensberg with Minden, and this was followed, from 1723 to 1808, by the establishment of the Chamber of War and Estates (Kriegs- und Domänenkammer) in Minden as a regional oversight of the administrations of the five Minden and eight Ravensberg districts or Ämter. The Reineburg was now enfeoffed several times together with its associated Amt and was under the command of the Prussian king, Frederick William I. In 1723 it was demolished due to its dilapidated condition. The remaining usable material was used in the construction of the government building in Minden and also for the new Amt office in the Reineberger Felde (called zum Siek), where several domestic buildings already existed. Finally the