Melschede Castle (Langscheid)

The first documented mention of Melschede as a Vogtland of the County of Arnsberg dates back to 1281. In the Middle Ages, there were two manorial seats: a “lower house” of the Melschede family and an “upper house” of the Wrede family. The lower house, whose Vogtland rights passed to Hermann Vlecke, a vassal of the Counts of Arnsberg, between approximately 1280 and 1285, was later taken over by the Benkamp family, who called themselves “von Melschede” from the mid-14th century. The upper house was granted to Albrecht Wrede in 1364 by the Elector of Cologne in recognition of his services in acquiring the County of Arnsberg. After the male line of the Melschede family died out, the lower house came into the possession of the Wrede family through marriage, who shortly thereafter also acquired the upper house.