Gleuel Castle

Gleuel Castle, located in the district of the same name in the city of Hürth, is one of the oldest moated castles in the medieval Kölngau, in the vicinity of the city of Cologne.

In late Frankish times, in a document dated June 4, 898, King Zwentibold of the Lotharingian sub-kingdom gifted a manor farm in Gleuel (Gloulo) with 12 other hides and the church, as well as properties in Selstena (Sielsdorf), to Essen Abbey. This speaks to the great age of both the castle courtyard and the church site. The castle and town then came into the possession of the Cathedral Chapter in the mid-13th century. The vassal Gerard von Gluele fought with the people of Cologne against Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden in 1260. The bailiff Heinrich von Gluwel signed the Hereditary Union of the Archdiocese as a territorial lord in 1463. Göddert von Gleuel led the Cologne Funken as a cavalry captain in the subsequent Burgundian War in 1474. After the line died out in 1550, the Schall von Bell family became owners, followed by Johann von Cölln from the Cologne councilor family in 1630. He built the current two-winged complex in 1632 from the originally four-winged structure. A gable stone bears the date. In 1726, the estate returned to the Cathedral Chapter through hereditary purchase. This led to the estate coming into civilian hands through secularization during the French period in 1802, first to the later Hürth mayor Heinrich Felten (in office 1817–1845). Most recently, the castle belonged to an architect who had it restored in accordance with monument preservation principles in 1976/77 and had the outbuildings converted into a residential complex. He lives there himself and also maintains his office and a small vintage car museum there. Therefore, the castle is generally not accessible.