Bodenheim Castle

The origins of the castle are obscure, but with the documentary mention of a certain Eigil around the year 950, there are first indications of a noble estate in Bodenheim. It can be assumed that this was a motte. In Bodenheim, the ideal conditions for this early form of castle are found: in a water-rich lowland, an artificial hill is piled up in the immediate vicinity of a flood-free place (Lommersum) and provided with a castle-like fortification, whose moats are connected to a nearby flowing water (the Erft) with the help of a ditch (the Lommersum mill stream).

Around 1350, the feudal register already mentions a castrum, which proves that at that time it was already a two-part moated castle, separated into an outer and inner bailey, whose ground plan has probably been preserved to this day.

The oldest part of the castle is the west wing with the stair tower, which houses a stone spiral staircase inside. Its construction is dated to the early 15th century. The narrow intermediate section adjoining to the east was built in the second quarter of the 16th century.

During the warlike conflicts between the Dutch and Spaniards in the late 16th century, caused by the Reformation, Bodenheim Castle was plundered several times and partially destroyed by fire. In the course of the reconstruction, Dietrich von Tomberg had the east wing and the present castle gate built in 1589, which is evidenced by the year inscribed in iron anchors and the keystone above the entrance gate. He also established a house chapel, which until the 1960s contained various valuables, including medieval wooden sculptures (now in the collection of the Museum Schnütgen in Cologne).

In 1594, Georg von Tomberg and his wife had the west wing altered and documented this with their dated alliance coat of arms in the room above the entrance (no longer present). This established the current appearance of the castle house, which in the following centuries was hardly changed, at least externally. Bodenheim Castle also survived the Thirty Years' War without major damage. It is disputed whether the alliance coat of arms of Georg Franz Wilhelm von Hersel and his wife, affixed to the gatehouse in the mid-17th century, is intended to document the reconstruction of the building or merely their marriage and assumption of the noble seat.

In the 18th century, minor alterations were made to the east wing. It is possible that these construction measures were again the result of warlike raids, as the castle was occupied by 62 men in 1702 and was even raided by the Kerpen garrison in 1709 to collect outstanding war taxes.

An original map from 1812 shows that Bodenheim was a two-part moated castle, separated into an outer and inner bailey, and thus had the floor plan that still exists today. During the French period (1794-1815), however, the estate was uninhabited and soon fell into such disrepair that rain and storms caused severe damage. Therefore, around 1815, the owners considered a new building and had a construction drawing made for this purpose. If it had been realized, Bodenheim would have received a small castle in the late Rococo style. However, since such a new building would probably have been much more expensive than a restoration, the owners decided to restore the old building.

The construction work dragged on into the 1830s; in 1834, the bridge to the main house, which still exists today, was built. Illustrations from the later 19th century show that the castle has hardly changed its exterior since that time.

The outbuildings of the outer bailey date almost exclusively from the 19th and 20th centuries. Only the west front, especially the outer wall, still contains significant parts from the 16th century, in which the gatehouse was also largely built.

In the 1980s, the last construction phase of the castle began with the repair of the roofs. Subsequently, the exterior of the manor house was renovated and given a yellowish plaster. In the early 1990s, the interior was then renovated and divided into three apartments. Especially in the east wing, changes to the room layout were necessary – partly for static reasons; for example, supports had to be installed for the Cologne ceiling, which could thus be preserved. The former house chapel, however, is no longer preserved. The moat has been dry for several years and interrupted by an eastern access road.

Bodenheim Castle is privately owned and inhabited. An interior visit is therefore not possible. Outside the former moat, it can be viewed from the outside, for example, as part of the Erft cycle path.