Palant Castle (Borschemich)

Haus Paland (from Pfahlland, as houses in this marshland were built on piles) is located in the Borschemich district of Erkelenz. Situated behind the gardens of the Catholic parish church of St. Martinus, the former moated castle consists of an outer bailey and a main house. The moat system was formerly fed by the Köhm; part of the moats is still preserved. Haus Paland, along with the village, will have to make way for the Garzweiler II open-pit lignite mine in the coming years.

In 1296, a knight Gottschalk, a vassal of the Millendonk lordship, was in possession of "Haus Birsmich". In 1363, the abbess of St. Maria im Kapitol in Cologne leased the tithe of Borschemich to a descendant of this knight Gottschalk, the squire Gottschalk (the son of Arnold von Birsmich). In 1388, Tilgin von Lieventhal was enfeoffed with Birsmich by Archbishop Friedrich III. In 1391, Heinrich Oysse von Walhusen, a nephew of Arnold von Birsmich, received the enfeoffment. More than 50 years later, in 1444, Johann von Valderode was the owner of the castle. Later, it changed owners again and came into the possession of Johann Klaitz through marriage. At the beginning of the next century, in 1511, the von Harff family appeared for the first time as owners of Haus Birsmich on the knight's roll. Despite the turmoil of the times, the property was enlarged and the castle fortified, so that it formed a strong support for the surrounding land. A von Harff married Christoph von Palant zu Breidenbach near Linnich in 1584, who thereby became co-owner of the house. However, part of the estate was still in the possession of Johann von Blittersdorf, through the inheritance of the Klaitz family.

The Rhenish Palant family subsequently gave the castle its name. The Palants were formerly spread out in numerous branches and also appear as aldermen and mayors in Erkelenz. The Palant coat of arms shows a shield, divided six times, black and yellow, with a six-pointed star, gold and silver, in the uppermost section, heraldically to the right.

The house remained in the possession of the Palant family for two centuries.

In 1586, during the Eighty Years' War, it was captured twice by Spanish and Cologne troops, and the outer bailey was burned down the second time, its location clearly visible on old site plans. Perhaps following this conquest and destruction, the present building probably originated around 1600.

In 1783, Haus Palant came to Maria Anna von Palant, who was married to E.W. von Graß zu Geyen, and the following year, 1784, to her two brothers-in-law Gerhard Caspar von Olmissen and Th.A. von Houve. From these, it was inherited by the Raitz von Frentz family. In 1837, Edmund Raitz von Frentz zu Kellenberg sold the house to the Lörkens family, in whose possession it still is today after approximately 170 years.