Cultural Events
To be privately owned
CastleLangerwehe - Merode
Merode Castle
Merode Castle, also known as Château Mérode, dating back to the 12th century, is located in the Merode district of the municipality of Langerwehe in North Rhine-Westphalia, on the northern edge of the Rureifel. It is considered one of the most beautiful moated castles in the Rhineland in the Renaissance style. It has been demonstrably in the possession of the Lords, later Counts, and current Princes of Merode since 1174.
The first reliable mention occurred in 1170. The original complex was built by Werner, a royal ministerialis from Kerpen, who had received the Echtz estate and the surrounding land as a fief from Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in the 12th century. He had a residence built on a clearing at the site of the current moated castle. This gave him and the place its name. The current name Merode is derived from the Latin "de Rode" and the Middle High German "van dem Rode" or "van me Rode".
What Werner's first settlement in the 12th century looked like is unknown. It was certainly a small fortified manor house. The designation "Castrum de Rode" (Merode Castle) is first mentioned in 1263.
The current appearance of the castle dates back to the intensive building activity of Field Marshal Jean Philippe Eugène de Merode-Westerloo at the beginning of the 18th century. His tombstone is located in the castle chapel. The castle underwent further structural changes between 1834 and 1838.
During the Second World War, large parts of the castle were destroyed. The northwest tower and parts of the north wing were not rebuilt.
Architectural Historical Significance+
Harald Herzog uses the term "self-monument as an architectural end in itself" for Merode Castle. "The absence of all outbuildings clearly shows that the castle was no longer intended for use - its pure appearance, its mere existence in a perfected, transfigured form makes Merode an exclusive monument far from all profane utility. In Merode, the development of the Rhenish moated castle into a pure monument to itself has been completed."
The characteristic of Merode Castle is that it supposedly has as many windows as there are days in the year and as many towers as there are months!
Current State+
On June 19, 2000, 80% of the restored parts of the castle were severely damaged by a major fire. Large parts of the roof structure and a corner tower completely burned out. The castle's private archive also fell victim to the fire. Reconstruction work continues to this day.
The castle is currently privately owned by Charles-Louis Prince of Merode and his family and is not open to visitors.
A weekly church service takes place in the castle chapel. Various events are held in the castle park throughout the year.
Since 2011, the Düren District Festival has been moved from Nideggen Castle to Merode Castle.
Fundraising Campaign: "One Euro for every cycled kilometer"+
In the summer of 2002, Stephan Thiemonds, a native of Merode, embarked on a multi-month bicycle world tour that took him to Australia. This was linked to the fundraising campaign he initiated, "1 Euro for every cycled kilometer," with the proceeds intended for the reconstruction of the onion dome destroyed by the fire. During his cycling trip, he recorded his experiences and adventures in a loose-leaf collection. After his return, he wrote 220 short stories from it, which were published as a book in 2003. The revised new edition "Querweltein Unterwegs – Eine Radreise voller Gegensätze" (Across the World – A Cycling Trip Full of Contrasts) was published in 2013.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://www.wehrbauten.de/thread.php?threadid=570
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 50.7994, 6.3878