Amelunxen Castle

The first documented mention of the locality of Amelunxen dates back to 811 by Charlemagne, at which time a manor farm existed. The Lords of Amelunxen, first mentioned in 1147 as vassals of the Abbot of Corvey, owned a knight's seat from 1239. Whether this was the direct predecessor of the current castle is not clearly documented. During the Thirty Years' War, both the castle and the surrounding village suffered repeated arson and looting. In 1718, the estate passed into the possession of the Prince-Bishop of Paderborn, Franz Arnold von Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht. The current stone castle building, with its gabled bay windows, high hip roof, and pointed-gabled dormer, was constructed in 1554 by the brothers Gerd and Ludolf von Amelunxen.