Veynau Castle

The foundation of Veynau Castle took place around 1340 and was granted as a fief by the Margrave of Jülich to Dietrich Schinnenmann von Aldenhoven, who developed it into a fortress. In 1351, it was declared a Cologne open house and, despite damage in 1355, was immediately rebuilt. In the same year, the castle passed into Jülich possession and became part of their defensive ring around Euskirchen. After a change of feudal lord in 1381 to Balduin von Monyardin, the castle was conquered by Duke Adolf von Berg in 1422 because the enfeoffment was not renewed. Heinrich von Geisbusch gradually acquired the entire castle in 1447; after his death in 1451, his widow sold it to Dietrich I. von Bourscheidt. Extensive reconstruction shaped its current appearance. The castle resisted imperial troops in the Guelders War in 1542/43 but suffered damage during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), which was repaired between 1661 and 1664.