Rhede Castle

Rhede Castle (also known as Haus Rhede) in the town of the same name in North Rhine-Westphalia can look back on a long tradition. The two-winged moated castle was built in its current form in 1564 by Lubbert von Rhemen, but dates back to a castle complex from the 13th century.

The castle rises two stories above a high cellar. It has two brick building wings that meet at right angles. The northeast wing, with its curved stepped gable, is still original from 1564 and has diamond bands of blue-fired bricks on its gable ends.

The narrower southwest wing, however, was rebuilt in 1845/46 on the old foundations of its predecessor. The original form of its curved gables is only simplified here, and its gable roof is crowned by a small roof turret. A twelve-step open staircase from around 1740 leads to the portal there.

In the corner of the two wings stands an octagonal stair tower with three stories. It has an onion-shaped dome with slate roofing and bears the alliance coat of arms of its builders, Lubbert von Rhemen and his wife Hillegunde von Diepenbrock zu Kortenhorn.

Rhede Castle is surrounded by a large park, which is not publicly accessible.

A castle complex of the Lords of Rhede at the site of the current moated castle is documented for approximately the middle of the 13th century. However, since the then lord of the castle, Werner von Rhede, sided with the Counts of Geldern during a feud against the Münster bishop Ludwig II of Hesse, the castle was destroyed in 1324 by episcopal troops.

Subsequently, it was rebuilt by the new owners, the Lords of Rhemen, but this new building also did not remain untouched by warfare for long. Everhard von Rhemen made the city of Bocholt his enemy, and so Bocholt troops destroyed the castle seat, with the exception of the keep, once again.

A descendant of Everhard, Lubbert von Rhemen, had the old defensive tower torn down in 1546 and, together with his wife Hillegunde von Diepenbrock zu Kortenhorn, had a two-winged manor house surrounded by a double moated ditch built in the Renaissance style at that spot.

When the male line of the House of Rhemen died out in 1695, Rhede Castle changed hands several times. In 1843, Count Alexander von Wartensleben sold the estate with the Borg and Dorfbröcking properties for 65,000 thalers to a judge from Emmerich. He had the old southwest wing demolished and a new one built on the old foundations.

In 1860, the brothers Alfred and Emil zu Salm-Salm bought the estate. Their family chose it as their residence after their ancestral seat, Anholt Castle in Isselburg, had been severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable by bomb hits during the Second World War. The princely family still uses the house as their residence today.

In 1980, the building, together with the directly adjacent park, was restored. During this process, the former plaster was removed so that the underlying bricks could once again be showcased.