Hemer Castle

The origins of Haus Hemer date back to the 11th century, when it was first documented in 1072. At that time, Archbishop Anno II of Cologne transferred the manorial court of Hademare to the newly founded Grafschaft Monastery. It reappeared in sources in 1452 as a knight's estate within the Duchy of Kleve-Mark, still subject to the Grafschaft Monastery. It was owned by the von Höcklinghausen family, and later by the von Böckenförde genannt Schüngel family. Dietrich Ovelacker, then Drost of Altena and Iserlohn, acquired the property. He had the complex redesigned by 1614, giving it its present form. Through inheritance, the house passed to the Wachtendonk family, who held it until 1664, before it fell to the von Brabeck family. They owned Haus Hemer until 1812, when Carl Heinrich Löbbecke purchased it. The Löbbecke family sold the manor house and its associated park in 1957 to the Catholic parish of St. Peter and Paul.