Weisweiler Castle

The still visible remains of the essentially Gothic castle date from the 15th/16th century.

A seven-meter-high curtain wall made of local quarry stone encloses an almost square area. Integrated into it are four semicircular towers, whose lower floors are still preserved and – like parts of the wall – have been repaired with brick. The only entrance to the complex is on the east side. It consists of a round-arched gate framed with ashlar, flanked by two sloping pillars.

Also preserved are the wall foundations of earlier castle buildings on the inside of the outer walls. The only preserved building is a former barn made of quarry stone on the south side, which owes its preservation to the fact that it was converted into a church in the 18th century.

In addition to the remains of the castle complex, the Resurrection Church of the Protestant parish, a community center, and the Weisweiler War Cemetery are now located on the site.

Residents and Owners

It is assumed that Winricus, the first documented Lord of Weisweiler, was also the first castellan. In 1237, his descendant Werner von Weisweiler was also mentioned in a document. However, the family of these knights seems to have died out towards the end of the 13th century. Historians assume that later Lords of Weisweiler were probably illegitimate children of the Counts of Jülich.

In 1436, Rheinhard von Weisweiler sold the castle and lordship of Weisweiler to Werner von Palant and Breitenbend, whose possessions since 1393 also included Haus Palant, located only 500 meters north-east. Thus, both Weisweiler castles were in one hand.

Through the so-called Palant'sche inheritance division, the complex came to Werner's son Johann in 1456. His heirs ceded the property to Adam von Palant, whose daughter brought the castle to the von Harff family through marriage. Adam's granddaughter, Johanna von Harff, married Count Johann von Hatzfeld-Wildenburg in 1509 and brought the complex into the marriage. Johann's descendant Alexander von Hatzfeld-Wildenburg acquired Haus Palant in 1682, so that the two castle complexes in Weisweiler were again in the possession of one family.

The Counts of Hatzfeld remained in possession until 1769. In that year, they sold the houses to the Duke of Jülich and Elector Karl Theodor von der Pfalz, who acquired the properties for his illegitimate son Karl August, Prince of Heideck and Bretzenheim. His heirs sold the castle at the beginning of the 19th century to the Counts of Hompesch-Bollheim. When they emigrated to Moravia shortly thereafter, the complex came into the possession of the Aachen industrialist family Cockerill in 1840.

The last owner of the castle to date is the Protestant parish of Weisweiler, which received the area as a gift from Hans and Hannelise Leyer in 1952. Today it is inhabited by the family of the pastor of the Weisweiler-Dürwiß parish.

Construction History

Nothing remains of the original castle from the 12th century. The visible ruins today mostly date from the 16th century. At that time, the almost square, well-fortified complex was surrounded by a high curtain wall with several semicircular towers and additionally protected by a six-meter-wide moat. The only access in the east front could probably only be reached via a drawbridge.

The outer walls were initially windowless and had only a few loopholes. Only when the fortification had become useless due to modern weapon technology were some windows broken out.

After Alexander von Hatzfeld-Wildenburg had acquired the nearby Haus Palant as a residence, the old castle increasingly lost importance compared to the modern palace complex. Only the bare minimum was spent on its maintenance. It may even have been used as a quarry at the end of the 17th century.

Due to an earthquake in 1755, the main building of the complex was irreparably damaged and had to be demolished. What led to the demolition of the other castle buildings is not clear, but it is certain that their stones were used, among other things, for the construction of the present Resurrection Church. In this church, there is a small display case with some exhibits that were found in the castle complex.