CastleStammeln

Stammeln Castle

Stammeln Castle

To be privately owned

Stammeln Castle is a listed former moated manor house northwest of Heppendorf, now part of the town of Elsdorf. Today it is used as an equestrian center and residential complex.

Little is known about the history of the castle. On the Jülich Knight's Roll of 1460, a Wilhelm Schilling von Gustorf is named as the owner of an estate in Stammeln. Katharina von Schilling brought the estate through marriage to Andreas von Randerath, who expanded it in 1583. In modern times, the property belonged until 1962 to descendants of the family of the sugar manufacturer Valentin Pfeifer of the company Pfeifer & Langen. His granddaughter, Hedwig von Gienanth, née Pfeifer (1907–1972), was its last owner.

Layout+

The oldest part of the brick-built quadrangular complex, the northwest and southwest wings with the strong corner towers, dates from the 16th century. A round tower is placed in front of the western corner, a square tower with a cross vault on the upper floor stands at the south corner between the castle and the outer bailey/farm complex. On the walls of this older complex, a former slightly protruding battlement with loopholes can still be seen. These older parts are located on the side of the complex facing away from the street. The eastern wing was built around 1900. The two round-arched gates in ashlar framing were reused from an earlier building, one bears the inscription 1666. On the street side, a striking facade reminiscent of brick Gothic, richly structured with windows, rosettes, and stepped gables, was placed in front of the gable.

Current Use+

There are six rental apartments in the manor house and the outer bailey, and the farm with its approximately two hectares of grassland has been used as an equestrian center since the 1980s.

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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.

Location: 50.9164, 6.6257