Nordkirchen Castle

The origins of the current castle date back to a 16th-century moated castle belonging to the Lords of Morrien. Between 1703 and 1734, the new construction was initiated by Prince-Bishop Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg-Lenhausen and completed by his nephew Ferdinand von Plettenberg. In 1833, the estate passed to the Counts of Esterházy, who sold it in 1903 to Duke Engelbert Maria von Arenberg. Around 1909 to 1914, the castle was expanded to its current size. From 1933, the Arenberg-Nordkirchen GmbH managed the castle and its associated property. Finally, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia acquired the castle in 1959, followed by further purchases of the Oranienburg, the castle park, and most recently in 2004, the adjacent Tiergarten forest area.