Hemmersbach Castle (Horrem)

The origins of Hemmersbach Castle date back a long way: as early as around 980, a nobleman named Wigmannus von Heymenbach was mentioned, who gave the castle its name. The first complex fell into disrepair, but around 1100, a new castle presumably emerged, whose remains are still preserved today as a motte. In 1326, the Scheiffart von Merode family took over the estate after the original line of the Hemmersbach family died out. A feud in 1366 led to the destruction of the predecessor castle, after which the construction of a new castle began in the 14th century, first documented in 1483. After the extinction of the Scheiffart von Merode family, the castle passed to Heinrich von Vercken in 1620. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was captured, the chapel burned down, and the entire estate as well as the village of Horrem suffered damage.