Ahausen Castle (Heggen)

Ahausen Castle is located in the Bigge Valley in Finnentrop. The castle was built on the foundations of a moated castle. As of December 31, 2011, Ahausen had eight inhabitants.

The village of Ahausen was first mentioned in 1313 and 1338, in connection with the granting of milling and fishing rights to the von Heygen family by Count Gottfried IV of Arnsberg. In 1363, the property fell to the Lords of Schnellenberg, whose associated branch bore the surname "van Aehusen". The owners Johan and Gerlach von Aehusen pledged the Ahausen estate to the city of Attendorn in 1428. In 1431, they regained their property after redemption. In the following years, ownership changed several times.

In 1642, Johann Moritz von Schade zu Grevenstein acquired the estate. After the acquisition, he had the estate rebuilt. In 1676, the outbuildings and the manor house were rebuilt. The portal and the castle chapel were newly built in 1723. In 1863, the district administrator and later privy government councilor in Lippstadt, Baron Maximilian von Schade-Ahausen, transferred the Ahausen estate to his grandnephew Max Franz von Rump. Through inheritance, the Ahausen estate fell to Count Ferdinand von Spee in 1958. The castle is still owned by the von Spee family today.