Gelsdorf Castle

Gelsdorf Castle is a smaller manor house in the Gelsdorf district of the municipality of Grafschaft in Rhineland-Palatinate. The castle, with its simple brick facades and natural stone decor and consistent geometry, is a remarkable rarity of late Baroque architecture.

The moated castle of Gelsdorf is first mentioned in 1220 as the ancestral seat of the Lords of Gelsdorf. Members of this family are listed in the 13th and 14th centuries as vassals of the Archdiocese of Cologne. Later in the second half of the 14th century, it is found among the possessions of Johann von Saffenburg, whose inheritance falls to the Count of Virneburg. His inheritance in turn falls to Count Dietrich von Manderscheid in 1554. In 1716, Baron Lothar Friedrich von Hundheim is enfeoffed with the castle. After the sale to Johann Bernhard von Halberg in 1734, another sale follows to Konstantin von Gruben. In 1766, he built the present three-winged moated castle based on a French model, consisting of a manor house, an outer bailey with servants' quarters, stables, coach houses, and moats, on the site of the castle from the second half of the 13th century. Vaults and a Romanesque column from the castle are preserved in the garden floor.

Gruben's granddaughters mortgaged the property in 1820. Baron von Geyr acquired it at a forced auction. In 1840, the property was parceled out. The manor house was shared by the municipality and the church as a school and a rectory, while the outer bailey was used for agriculture. In the mid-1960s, there were efforts to demolish the buildings, then owned by the municipality, but these were not implemented due to the purchase by a private investor. On July 19, 1979, the manor house completely burned down due to an unexplained cause. After the sale of the ruin to a new owner, the entire complex was rebuilt and restored with great effort (1982–93). The castle and large parts of the outer bailey are now used as rental properties, primarily for families. The complex is not open to visitors.