Heck Manor

The first documented mention of the property as “dat hys an der Hecghe” dates back to 1390, although a knight Heinrich von Hecga is already mentioned in 1259. In 1412, it was again mentioned in a feudal register of Werden Abbey. The name “Hys an der Hecghe” suggests the building's function as part of Werden's fortification system, surrounded by a hedge-planted rampart. Haus Heck was probably destroyed in a city fire in 1498, as it was described as a ruin in 1572 and depicted as “Ruine Castri Hegge” in an illustration from 1581. This illustration shows a two-part complex with a core castle and an outer bailey. Reconstruction may have begun around 1599 by Dietrich von der Hoven and Margarethe von Oefte, evidenced by a fireplace bearing this date.