Kirspenich Castle

The first documented mention of a noble residence in Kirspenich occurred in 1166 with Hermann von Kirspenich. In 1278, ownership passed to Gerlach von Dollendorf, who is also credited with building the nearby Arloff Castle. The square residential tower made of quarry stone, which bears a resemblance to the tower of Arloff Castle, likely dates from this period. Until the Battle of Worringen in 1288, Kirspenich Castle probably belonged to the dominion of Archbishop Siegfried von Westerburg of Cologne. After the victory of the Jülich counts over the archbishop, they assumed feudal lordship. In 1301, the castle in the Erft valley was explicitly mentioned as a moated castle with a separate outer bailey when Gerhard von Alfter pledged it to Count Gerhard of Jülich as a fief and open house. Despite the Jülich feudal lordship, the castle remained under the jurisdiction of Electoral Cologne.