Frankenberg Castle

The origins of Frankenberg Castle date back to the 13th century, likely its second half. It served as the seat of the bailiffs appointed to protect the nearby Burtscheid Abbey. Arnold I von Merode is considered its builder, and his grandson Edmund von Merode is documented as a bailiff. The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1352. It fell to robber knights from the Lords of Schönforst in 1391 but returned to the Merode family by 1449. Junker Adam III von Merode-Frankenberg fought in the Dutch War of Independence against Spain, leading to Spanish troops partially destroying the castle. After his death without male heirs in 1583, the castle passed to his uncle Johann von Merode-Houffalize, who received it as a fief with the condition of restoration. This task was only completed from 1637 by his grandson Johann Dietrich and later by his son Franz-Ignaz, making the castle habitable again by 1661. After the extinction of the Merode-Houffalize line in 1728, the castle fell into disrepair as the heir, Johann Wilhelm von Merode-Houffalize zu Frenz, resided at another family seat.