Anholt Castle

In 1169, a Lord of Sulen "en Anholt" is mentioned for the first time as a vassal of the Bishop of Utrecht, Gottfried von Rhenen, which is why historians today assume that the moated castle of Anholt was built before that year to protect the extensive diocesan territories. However, it is historically documented that at the latest under Stephan III von Sulen (1313–1347), the feudal relationship with Utrecht had ended, because at that time the castle, together with the surrounding village, was an imperial immediacy, belonging to the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Imperial Circle.

When the Anholt branch of the Lords of Sulen died out in the male line in 1380, the castle and lordship passed to Herberga von Sulen's husband, Hermann III von Gemen. However, since this couple also had no male heir, Anholt came in 1402 through the marriage of Margaretha von Gemen to the family of her husband Gysbert von Bronkhorst-Batenburg. Emperor Sigismund confirmed the imperial immediate rights of their lordship to the Bronkhorst-Batenburgs in 1431.

During the Guelders Feud, Gysbert's son, Jakob I, sided with the Roman-German King and later Emperor Maximilian I and fought together with Johann II, Duke of Cleves, against the Guelders Duke Karl von Egmond. This resulted in Duke Karl's unsuccessful attempt to take Anholt Castle by surprise in 1499. Another attempt by Duke Karl in 1512, however, was successful. Weakened by a preceding plague epidemic, the castle had to open its gates to its enemies after a three-month siege.

For 25 years, the castle complex remained in the possession of Guelders. Although Jakob's successor, his cousin Dietrich III, had his imperial immediate rights as Lord of Anholt confirmed in 1531, he only succeeded in regaining the castle through a treaty in 1537. In return for the release of the castle and lordship, the Guelders Duke demanded high contributions. Furthermore, the castle, town, and land had to be kept open to the dukes, but already three years later, Emperor Charles V released the Lords of Anholt from these obligations. However, the supporters of the Union of Utrecht paid no attention to this fact during the Eighty Years' War and, referring to the treaty of 1537, demanded Dietrich's accession of Anholt to the alliance against Spain. Dietrich's refusal, being Catholic, was followed by the siege of the city by the Geuzen. Dietrich wanted to protect the poorly fortified city through negotiations and for this purpose opened the city gates after the members of the Union had promised not to use any violence. But only a few moments after they had passed the city gates, they broke their promises. They plundered Anholt and set fires in many places. Only when Duke Wilhelm V of Cleves sent troops for relief did the looters flee. A similar fate befell the castle in the Thirty Years' War, again it was plagued by looting and arson.

As the last male representative of the family, Dietrich IV – meanwhile elevated to the rank of count by the emperor – died after having transferred the castle and county in 1647 to his daughter Maria-Anna's husband, the Imperial Count Leopold Philipp Carl zu Salm, Wild- and Rheingraf. In 1743, his descendant Nicolaus Leopold was granted the hereditary title of Prince of Salm-Salm by the emperor.

In 1802, the Lordship of Anholt was united with the districts of Bocholt and Ahaus of the abolished Prince-Bishopric of Münster to form the Principality of Salm. In 1810, the Principality of Salm fell to France. In the course of the Congress of Vienna, the sovereignty of the Principality of Salm was not restored, but the territories were assigned to Prussia. Anholt Castle remained the residence of the princes. Today it is one of the few large privately owned complexes in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Core Castle

The first verifiable castle complex, built before 1169, includes the almost eleven-meter-wide, round keep (the so-called "Dicke Turm" or Fat Tower), a small residential building in the northeast corner of the current complex, and a ring wall that once enclosed an oval area.

The entrance to the keep was a high entrance and at that time was almost seven meters above the current courtyard pavement and was only accessible via rope ladders. Below this access was the dungeon. Built in a swampy area, the entire tuff stone complex stood on a foundation of wooden piles driven into the marshy ground.

In the 14th century, the core castle was significantly expanded, reaching dimensions only slightly smaller than today's. The extensions also received pile foundations made of oak wood. The original residential building was raised and defensively expanded. Two-story residential wings were built on its east and south sides. After this expansion, the west and north fronts of the castle complex consisted only of two-meter-wide, walkable defensive walls with hexagonal watchtowers.

During the 16th century, the west and north sides were expanded for residential purposes. The construction of two stair towers in the northwest and northeast corners of the core castle also dates to this period.

Around 1700, at the instigation of Prince Karl Theodor Otto zu Salm, the complex was expanded into a representative Baroque residence with a palace character. The Dicke Turm received its current towering roof helmet, and the other buildings were also crowned with a uniform slate roof. Along with the renovation, all facades received a uniform plaster, into which – in accordance with the taste of the time – a pattern imitating large ashlar stones was carved. In addition, a two-story pavilion was placed in front of the north front to create access to the first park.

Outer Bailey

The origins of the so-called "Unterhoff" (Lower Court) lie in the period of the first expansion of the core castle. Excavation results suggest that the dimensions of the outer bailey already corresponded to their current ones at that time. The entrance still leads through the so-called Bell Tower. The coats of arms of Emperor Charles V (from 1540) and Duke Karl von Egmond (from 1512) embedded in its walls commemorate the occupation of the castle by Guelders troops.

Between 1697 and 1703, the outer bailey was rebuilt according to plans by the Milanese architect Tommaso Tommassini.

Exterior Grounds

The first gardens of Anholt Castle date from the 18th century and were laid out in symmetrical forms following the Baroque model of French garden art.

In the 19th century, parts of the park were transformed into an English landscape garden, first by the Düsseldorf court gardener Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe and later by the English garden architect Edward Milner (1819–1884). The park was extensively expanded during this process. In 1945, the gardens were destroyed, but were reconstructed and restored between 1962 and 1995.

Inspired by the impressions of his honeymoon, Leopold zu Salm-Salm had a park modeled after Lake Lucerne created for his wife in the southwestern part of the exterior grounds from 1892 to 1900. It was equipped with a miniature lake, surrounded by an artificial rock landscape, and an original Swiss house. At the beginning of the 20th century, the popularly named "Leopoldspark" was converted into a wildlife enclosure. Rebuilt after the destructions of World War II by Nikolaus Leopold Prince zu Salm-Salm, it was made accessible to the public in 1966 under the name Anholter Schweiz (Anholt Switzerland).

In the spring of 1945, Anholt and Anholt Castle were severely damaged by combat operations during World War II. The castle complex was 70 percent damaged. Near the castle were V2 rocket launch pads, which were bombed by English aircraft. The then lord of the castle, Nikolaus Leopold Prince zu Salm-Salm, immediately began measures to save the castle after the destruction. Recognizing that a new economic basis had to be found for the preservation of the castle complex and its treasures, he involved the castle early on in considerations for the development of shopping and excursion tourism in Anholt.

In 1947 and 1950, at the invitation of the owner, the so-called Anholt Circle met at Anholt Castle, a group of renowned architects and urban planners who had previously been involved in the immediate vicinity of Reich Armaments Minister Albert Speer with the expansion of the Reich capital Berlin into the world capital Germania and with the preparation for the reconstruction of bomb-damaged cities: among others Rudolf Wolters, Ernst Neufert, Friedrich Hetzelt, Friedrich Tamms, and Konstanty Gutschow. They provided numerous suggestions for the reconstruction of Anholt and its castle.

After the restoration of Anholt Castle, it could again be inhabited by the princely family. At the same time, many parts of the complex were made accessible to the public. In addition to a museum, the park grounds can also be visited for a fee. Furthermore, the castle houses a hotel with a restaurant and a golf club.

Museum

A museum was opened in the castle in 1966. It offers visitors an insight into the social life and courtly culture at Anholt. Among other things, the largest private painting collection in North Rhine-Westphalia with numerous works by famous Dutch masters such as Rembrandt (for example, Diana Bathing with Actaeon and Callisto), Jan van Goyen, and Gerard ter Borch (Portrait of Gesina ter Borch as a Shepherdess), testimonies of aristocratic living culture, the armory, and an extensive porcelain collection can be viewed.

The museum also displays many original preserved interior furnishings because these were stored in a tunnel during World War II and thus remained intact. For example, in some rooms, wooden floors over 400 years old can be seen.

Library

The castle library is also open for visits. It consists of a 230 m² hall in the Neoclassical style and was completed in 1860. The holdings include the dissolved library of the Cistercian monastery of Groß-Burlo, the library of the Counts of Bronckhorst-Batenburg from the period between 1400 and 1650, and the library of the Princes of Salm-Salm with documents from 1650 to today.