Hemmersbach Castle (Horrem)

Hemmersbach Castle is a moated castle in Horrem, city of Kerpen, in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia.

As early as around 980, a nobleman named Wigmannus von Heymenbach is known, who gave Hemmersbach Castle, where he resided, its name. The original name Heymenbach evolved into Hemmersbach over the years. This first castle, about which little is known, fell into disrepair.

A new castle was probably built around 1100. It was then inhabited for the next 400 years. This castle still exists today as a remnant ("Motte") in Horrem. In 1326, the Scheiffart von Merode family took over the estate, as the Hemmersbach line died out. Construction of a new castle began as early as the 14th century, first mentioned in 1483. The predecessor castle had been significantly damaged by bombardment in 1366 during a feud. Due to a lack of heirs in the Scheiffart von Merode family, the castle passed to Heinrich von Vercken in 1620. He received it as a fief from the Count Palatine. During the Thirty Years' War, Hemmersbach Castle was captured and the castle chapel was set on fire. The rest of the castle and the surrounding village of Horrem suffered severe damage.

After several further changes of ownership, the castle came into the possession of Franz Adolph Berghe von Trips in 1751. He was enfeoffed with Hemmersbach, as the Trips family was a descendant of the Scheiffart von Merode family. On January 4, 1793, a large fire broke out. The castle house burned down to its walls, and not much could be saved. In 1797, another fire destroyed the outer bailey. It was not until 1837 that the castle complex was rebuilt by further descendants of the Berghe von Trips family. The castle received its current appearance through a renovation carried out in 1899/1900.

In the 20th century, Formula 1 racing driver Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips (1928-1961), the last descendant of the Trips family, lived at Hemmersbach Castle. His mother moved from the castle to the adjacent Villa Trips, which today houses the "Gräflich Berghe von Trips'sche Sportstiftung zu Burg Hemmersbach" foundation.