Blankenheim Castle

The origins of Blankenheim Castle date back to around 1115, when Gerhard I had it built as the ancestral seat for the family of Blankenheim. In 1380, the Lords of Blankenheim were elevated to the rank of counts. Through a kinship with the Counts of Manderscheid, they adopted the name Manderscheid-Blankenheim from 1469. After the extinction of the Manderscheid-Gerolstein and Manderscheid-Kail lines in 1742, the County of Manderscheid became the largest independent dominion in the Eifel. The complex underwent alterations, transforming it from a defensive structure into a baroque palace with a garden and orangery. This era ended in September 1794 with the invasion of French troops, whereupon Countess Augusta of Manderscheid-Blankenheim fled with her family to Bohemia. The castle remained uninhabited for a long time until Prussia began preservation measures in 1894.