Reifferscheidt Castle

The first written mention of Reifferscheid dates back to 1106, when Duke Heinrich of Limburg and Lower Lorraine destroyed his own castle to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. In 1130, a nearby chapel was elevated to a parish church, which was under the care of Steinfeld Abbey. The Lords of Reifferscheid first appeared in documents in 1195. A division of the lordship by the brothers Gerhard and Philipp von Reifferscheid led to the establishment of the Wildenburg branch of the family. In 1385, the castle was besieged by a peace alliance because Johann V. von Reifferscheid had broken the peace through raids, but the siege was unsuccessful. The Salm-Reifferscheid family was formed in 1416 through inheritance. After a fire in 1509, the castle was rebuilt, but completely destroyed by another fire in 1669.