Woord Castle

Haus Woord in Bocholt was built between 1792 and 1795 in the Neoclassical style by Amtsrentmeister Josef von Raesfeld, whose descendant Bernhard von Raesfeld sold it in 1827 to the Bocholt textile manufacturer Ludwig Schwartz. In 1830, Schwartz also acquired the land belonging to Haus Woord and erected steam-powered spinning and weaving mills there.

In front of the manor house stood four statues by the Münster sculptor, grandson of the architect and sculptor Gerhard Gröninger, depicting the gods Diana, Aurora, Apollo, and Mercury. They were made around 1700 for the castle garden of Ahaus and returned there in 1986 through purchase. Since then, copies of the statues have been located in front of Haus Woord.

Today, only a small square in front of Haus Woord remains of the entire area; the former company premises of the Schwartz family now house shops, residential buildings, and the Christuskirche. The Schwartzstraße, which runs between Haus Woord and the church, commemorates the company's history. The manor house's coach houses are currently used as retail premises.

During the Second World War, the house was destroyed down to its outer walls and rebuilt in its original style in the years up to 1949. It is a protected monument. Today, it houses private apartments and a law firm.

Some of the almost hundred-year-old horse chestnut trees, which form an axis between the manor house and the coach houses on both sides, are infested with leaf miner moths and have been replaced by silver lindens since 2007. At the same time, the foundations of the coach houses are to be restored. The redesign of the inner courtyard is being carried out by the Schwartz family in coordination with the Westphalian Office for Monument Preservation Münster, the lower monument authority in Bocholt, and the Green Spaces Office of the City of Bocholt.