Schwarzenraben Castle

Schloss Schwarzenraben is a Baroque moated castle near Lippstadt-Bökenförde. It was presumably built by the Barons von Hoerde (noble family) between 1765 and 1768 according to plans by Franz Christoph Nagel and Johann Matthias Kitz. Elector Klemens August at least co-financed the construction, allegedly as compensation for an injury he had inflicted on the builder during a hunt.

Until the 16th century, the place with its fortifications was called "Wambeke" and belonged to the municipality of Bökenförde. Wambeke was first mentioned in 1031. Half of the area was sold to the Barons von Hörde in 1511, and entirely by 1584. For the new building by architect Johann Matthias Kitz from Arolsen, Italian stucco artists were hired for the rich stucco work. Particularly worth seeing are both the Rococo-style castle chapel with the altar by Anton Joseph Stratmann and the park with its orangery.

Friedrich Clemens von Ketteler (the "Old Fritz") had married Marie Kunigunde von der Decken (noble family), the heiress of the Hörde estates Schwarzenraben and Eringerfeld, in 1863 and settled in Eringerfeld around 1870. In 1898, Clemens received a kick to the forehead while holding a horse that was being treated by the veterinarian. This untreated skull fracture led to brain damage. His eldest son and heir Wilderich had married in 1894 and was now living with his wife Paula, née Oer (noble family), in Schloss Harkotten.