Lipperode Castle (Ruin)

The lowland castle was first mentioned in a document from Liesborn Monastery in 1248, a fact confirmed by excavations in 1987. Construction of a Romanesque residential tower must have begun shortly before, characterized by 2.4-meter-thick quarry stone walls and an almost square footprint of 21.8 x 22.2 meters – a unique construction in Westphalia. Although the noble lords of Lippe only resided here temporarily, the castle played a role in regional conflicts. In 1297, Noble Lord Simon I of Lippe had the walls demolished to avoid an attack by the Archbishop of Cologne, but later rebuilt them. The castle survived several feuds, including the Tecklenburg and Soest feuds. After a territorial division treaty in 1344, Lipperode came into the possession of Bernhard of Lippe. Before 1411, a reconstruction took place, resulting in a new keep.