Kendenich Castle

The origins of the settlement are ancient, as evidenced by Roman wall remains. The manor “zu Cantinich” was first documented in 941 when Archbishop Wichfrid of Cologne granted the tithe to St. Cecilia's Collegiate Church. In the 12th century, the Lords of Kendenich emerged as vassals of the Cologne archdiocese, with the patrician family “Birklin” acting as feudal lords. Independent jurisdiction of the castle lords is also documented for this period. In 1475, the property passed to Mathias Walrave, a member of the Cologne patrician family. In the early 16th century, around 1517, Dahm von Orsbeck and his wife acquired the castle complex. Through the marriage of his sister Agnes von Orsbeck to Adolf Freiherr Raitz von Frentz, the castle came into the possession of the von Frentz family, who thereafter called themselves “zu Kendenich”. Between 1660 and 1664, Johann Sigismund von Frentz had a Baroque manor house built.