Sotterbach Castle

The number 1739 affixed to the exterior refers to the year of a fundamental renovation, not to the year of construction itself, as the building is certainly much older, at least in its core.

Sotterbach is first mentioned in documents as early as 1141 as the residence of a vassal of the Count of Berg, Olfiz von Sittinberg. In 1583, Sotterbach was one of six "Sattelgüter" (fiefs with knight service) that the Lords of Bieberstein, von Karthaus, and von Lixfeld owned in the parish of Eckenhagen.

In the 17th century, the estate fell to the noble family Ley, which is commemorated by the name anchors AMVL on the south side - an abbreviation for Anna Margarete von Ley, through whose marriage the now renovated stately castle house came into the possession of Wilhelm Bernhard Hasenclever, judge and rent master of the Windeck office.

In the second half of the 18th century, the estate was then owned by the Freckhausen organ builders Gebrüder Kleine (see also the Baroque Church of Eckenhagen), who bequeathed it to their son-in-law Sigismund Roetzel, also an organ builder.

Not least due to the billeting of French and imperial troops, the property fell into disrepair, but due to its massive construction, it resisted final decay and could be restored with considerable effort in the 1970s.