Schleiden Castle

The complex was first documented as a “castrum” in 1198. In 1343, the castle became an imperial fief of the Counts of Luxembourg. Three years later, in 1346, the Emperor allowed the Lord of Schleiden, from the lineage of the Counts of Blankenheim, to take the castle, bailey, and valley as a Luxembourgish fief, provided that the fortress became an open house for Luxembourg. After the Lords of Schleiden died out in 1445, the Nassau-Diez family took over the complex. They were followed by the noble families of Manderscheid (1450), von der Marck (1593), and von Arenberg (1773). Between 1689 and 1702, defensive walls and towers were demolished, and around 1726, the complex was converted into a castle, including a three-story building to the south and a gatehouse designed by Johann Joseph Couven. The Arenbergs sold the castle in 1920 to the Lazarist Order.