Schwanenburg Castle

The origins of the Schwanenburg likely date back to the 11th century when the Counts of Kleve built it on a rocky spur. The first indirect mention appears in 1145, with a direct one in 1184. At that time, the complex consisted of a residential tower and a palas, surrounded by a curtain wall. In the 13th century, the Counts of Kleve incorporated the carbuncle into their coat of arms, referencing the legend of the Swan Knight Helias, which later gave the Swan Tower and the entire castle its current name. After the male line of the comital family died out in 1368, the County of Kleve and the Schwanenburg passed to the Counts of Mark. Under Duke Adolf I, the Swan Tower was erected from 1440 after the old residential tower collapsed, and was crowned with a gilded swan in 1455.