Gedern Castle

Gedern Castle originated from a 14th-century fortification. There is a Cultural History Museum in the gatehouse of the castle (formerly the castle's gardener's house). On some buildings located on the castle hill, the years of construction are carved, mostly visible on the uppermost stone of a (gate) arch. These numbers clearly show that the expansion of the castle area must have happened in several stages. However, precisely because of the years on the buildings, some historically interesting questions arise. For example, the gate hall with the bridge was dated to 1605, but parts of the castle wall were already built in the Middle Ages. The central building of the castle dates from 1706, almost 100 years after the construction of the gate arch. This raises the question of what must have been there before the construction of the central building, because the construction of a gate system would have been quite pointless if there had not already been residential buildings, or rather a residential castle. Unfortunately, there are no sketches or similar of the building on whose foundations a part of the castle was built.

In 1225, a witness Wolfram from Gedern is mentioned, which is why the name Wolframsburg has been preserved in Gedern. The castle area was built with, among others, the following buildings, with the year of completion of the respective building, or the year that can be read on the building, given in parentheses. Among the oldest buildings are the gate hall with bridge, the stables and the guardhouse (1605). Considerably younger is the construction of the old brewery, located opposite the gate hall, which today houses a retirement home. (1679) Shortly thereafter, the expansion and renovation of the main building already began, as this is dated to 1706, although it can be assumed that parts of the building must have been completed earlier. This assumption is quite justified, as already written in the local chronicle "Geriwarada": "But on August 9, 1687, a couple was married "publicly in the castle in the new building"." The main building also consists of buildings that were built in several stages. For example, the building to the left of the staircase was completed around 1700. The staircase was built during a renovation phase around 1730; the staircase installed there is still in the building today.

The Rentamt (revenue office) was built in 1710. The forge and the coach house are still preserved today. The castle complex is surrounded by a park laid out in the English style. The buildings were inhabited by the Stolberg line until 1927, after which the male labor service was housed there first, and later, until 1945, the female. After the end of the Third Reich, homeless people and refugees were accommodated in the buildings.

On August 1, 1987, the city of Gedern bought the castle along with the surrounding buildings. After extensive renovation, the city administration moved in here in 1997. Furthermore, Gedern Castle today houses a renowned restaurant. A soap factory and the city archive have recently been housed in the former stables. The Cultural History Museum is located in the gate hall. The Rentamt is currently being renovated. The coach house and forge have so far been saved from demolition thanks to the efforts of the Gedern History Circle.