Hariksee Castle (Schwalmtal)

The "Insel-Schlösschen" (Island Castle) on Lake Hariksee was built in 1891 as a small villa for Bartholomäus Rosbach, the then owner of Haus Clee in Waldniel (Schwalmtal). His father, Eduard Rosbach, had acquired the Waldniel noble residence in 1854 through marriage to Berta Marianne Roth and had it rebuilt in 1870. It is said that Eduard Rosbach greatly enjoyed the joyful country life.

This is also said to have applied to his son Bartholomäus, who intensified this preference – in any case, numerous anecdotes about him have survived in the region to this day. For example, the following: "The young man lived joyfully, carefree, and even in old age delighted in fun and jokes, even if they often cost him dearly..."

The Insel-Schlösschen was used, among other things, for hunting and other festivities – many joyful celebrations took place here.

The tourist development of Lake Hariksee as an excursion and local recreation area began in the early 1920s. The "pioneer" of Hariksee tourism was probably Paul Kruff with his wife Annemarie. He was also the first captain of the passenger ship "Patschel", which operates between the Insel-Schlösschen and Mühlrather Mühle jetties.

Since then, the Insel-Schlösschen on Lake Hariksee, later with a large extension, has been known and popular as an excursion restaurant. In March 2002, a fire destroyed most of the castle and the entire complex. Today, the castle presents itself newly rebuilt and freshly renovated. A pavilion, which houses a restaurant with over 100 seats inside and over 600 seats outside, is now nestled into the landscape next to the castle.