Niederurff Castle

Niederurff Castle is located in the Niederurff district of the municipality of Bad Zwesten in the Schwalm-Eder district in North Hesse.

The castle, about whose construction date nothing precise is known, was the seat of the Lords of Urff, who are first mentioned in a deed of gift from 1160. Since the fortified church of Niederurff is already documented in 1085, the oldest parts of the castle may date from the 11th and 12th centuries.

In 1309, Heinrich von Urff, his brother Conrad, and his two sons pledged the castle as a fief to Count Heinrich IV of Waldeck, with the proviso that it would not be open to the Waldecks in any potential disputes with the Landgraves of Hesse. In 1332, this safeguard was strengthened by Landgrave Heinrich the Iron being assured of the opening of the castle in case of war. It is not known whether the Landgraves made use of this in their numerous conflicts with the Archbishopric of Mainz. Nor are there any documentary indications whether the castle was ever besieged or destroyed.

Not much is known about the further history of the castle either. The main building (palas), the "Lange Bau" (Long Building), dates from around 1500. The year 1672 on the weather vane on the castle possibly indicates that the second floor of the "Lange Bau" was completed in that year. By 1780 at the latest, the buildings in the south of the castle grounds had fallen into disrepair.

Today, the northern main building and the defensive wall are preserved; walls of the west wing, an adjacent tower, and the keep are still present. The moat, designed as a dry ditch, is still well preserved. A park adjoins the complex. The castle and park are privately owned and not publicly accessible.