Kreuzberg Castle

The first documented mention of the settlement Cruceberg dates back to 893. Around 1100, the area came into the possession of the Counts of Are, who built an initial residence there for one of their administrators. In April 1343, Archbishop Konrad von Are-Hochstaden enfeoffed the knight Kuno von Vischenich with Kreuzberg and financially supported him in building a fortified castle. After its completion, Kuno and his wife Guda transferred the castle as a fief to the Archbishopric of Cologne and immediately received it back. Since Kuno von Vischenich died childless in the same year, the property passed to his widow Guda, who, through marriage to Konrad von Schöneck in 1346, brought the castle into his family. In the early 15th century, the castle was divided, becoming a Ganerbenburg. After frequent changes of ownership, Johann Arnold Quadt von Wickrath managed to reunite the castle in one hand in 1659. However, in 1686, the complex was destroyed by French troops during the War of the Palatinate Succession.