Raesfeld Castle

In the first half of the 18th century, the von Velen family of Raesfeld died out; the castle was only inhabited irregularly and gradually fell into disrepair.

A natural and cultural history exhibition in the modern Information and Visitor Center Tiergarten Schloss Raesfeld does justice to this special position.

The art historian Richard Klapheck wrote: "From the south, the entire complex forms an impressive picture of wonderfully balanced building masses.

The upper and lower castles are arranged so that the fortissimo of the tones strikes resonate in harmony, creating an overall picture that is imbued with balance and tranquility.

Excavations conducted in the 1950s and 1960s, in addition to dendrochronological investigations, have revealed that a wooden tower mound castle with moats was constructed on the site around 1117, over a 9th or 10th-century flat settlement.

The courtyard side of the west wing has a representative design: the entrance door to the first floor in the south corner is decorated with rich volute ornamentation and a Oeil-de-boeuf above it.

François Walschaerth from Maastricht painted the reveals of the windows in the Knights' Hall of the old manor house with gods and heroes from Greek mythology.

During the restoration of the Sterndeuter Tower in 2001, evidence was found that the southern part of the outer bailey was also built on older, medieval foundation walls.

The stone cross windows have no triangular pediments or other decorations and the relieving arches are semi-circular with hewn imposts and keystones, as in the upper storeys of the main tower.

During restoration work in 1962, the "leaden heart" of Christoph Otto von Velen, who died in 1733, was discovered in the crypt and is now kept in a niche on the right side of the choir.

The contract with the sculptor Scharp describes a fountain created in 1655/56: "The sea god Neptune sitting on a mountain of stones, surrounded by crocodiles, turtles, and grotto creatures".

In 1670, John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen presented Alexander II with an "American pregnant buffalo cow, as Your Grace is a particular lover of foreign animals and the best".

[12] An educational trail provides information about nature and culture along the way, such as the artesian spring of the Welbrock stream, the ponds and a ruined mill from the early 18th century.

The modern building, designed by the architectural firm Farwick + Grote from Ahaus, is characterized by its wooden construction, which is encased in a glass façade.

Among other things, the original alliance coat of arms of Alexander II von Velen and his wife Alexandrine, which hung above the gateway of the outer bailey, and the restored Oßing map from 1729, which contributed to the discovery of the Renaissance zoo, are on display.

The adjacent room provides space for the Raesfeld Forum for Sustainable Regional Development, which offers lectures, conferences and seminars on topics such as environmental and nature conservation, agriculture and forestry.

Another contemporary wrote in 1408: "There was a man named Johann von Raesfeld who plundered the streets and took many goods from the merchants, their clothes, money, and bags, and carried them to his house".

As a reward, John IV received the right to build a mill in his parish, the office of Drosten in Ahaus as a fief, and 13,000 gold guilders.

On behalf of the Lords of Velen and Heiden, who were now actually entitled to the inheritance, Bernhard von Raesfeld, Prince-Bishop of Münster, filed a lawsuit against his relative Goswin before the Imperial Chamber Court in Speyer.

He had generated the funds for this with the Gottesgabe salt works near Rheine, which belonged to him, and also received a loan of 5000 Reichstaler from the Diet of Münster Abbey and the councillors of the state.

The Thirty Years' War reached Raesfeld when Hessian troops under the Count of Mansfeld occupied and pillaged the castle in the late fall of 1622.

Many high-ranking personalities stayed at Raesfeld Castle at this time, such as the Bishop of Strasbourg and Elector of Brandenburg Friedrich Wilhelm and Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen.

Christoph Otto was often in the Austrian Netherlands on business and so he probably appointed his nephew Alexander III and the Walloon Phillip Mouvé as administrators.

In this case, Alexander III had negotiated an inheritance contract with the distantly related Gemen castle lord Otto Ernst Leopold Count of Limburg-Stirum.

Maria Charlotte, the widow of Alexander III, occasionally lived in Raesfeld Castle until her death in October 1753 and took care of court matters.

After the end of the First World War, parts of a Bavarian division occupied the rooms of the castle in December 1918 and turned Raesfeld into a garrison for weeks.

The director of the castle, student councillor J. Hasebrink, wrote: "The home has 80 beds and sufficient rooms with facilities for large camps and conferences of our Catholic youth."

The British military staff set up an office in the outer bailey, while families who had fled from the cities of the Ruhr region were accommodated in the main house and the tower.

In the post-war years, the castle buildings served as emergency accommodation for displaced persons from the East and four classes of the Raesfeld elementary school.

The Knights' Hall has been used regularly for concerts and literary events by the Cultural Association of Raesfeld Castle since 1956, but can also be hired by private individuals.