Merten Castle

The origins of Merten Abbey likely date back to around 1160, although a founding charter is missing. The first indirect mention appears in 1181, while the monastery itself was first documented in 1217. At that time, it was confirmed that no laypeople were allowed to live within the monastery walls, and the then owner of Merten Castle, Otto von Kappenstein, had to cede buildings to the monastery. In 1582, Herchen Abbey was merged with Merten after an epidemic and high debts. A fire destroyed the monastery in 1699, after which the Romanesque church was baroqueized. The south wing was rebuilt in 1791, while the west wing fell into disrepair. After the secularization in 1803, when the monastery was dissolved, the Hatzfeld-Trachenberg family acquired the site in 1870.