Bodelschwingh Castle (Germany)
North Rhine-Westphalia See list of castles in Germania
A very special moated castle is located in the Bodelschwingh district of Dortmund. The particularity is expressed on the one hand in the particular idyll and beauty of the building surrounded by a large pond. On the other hand, due to the inaccessibility of the complex with the large park, generally not accessible to the public due to the private ownership of the property. The rare moments when the zu Inn- and Knyphausen family opens the castle gates and invites you to events are even more precious. These include adventure markets and Open Monument Day, which takes place every year in late summer. The latter also offers guided tours through the interior of the castle.
The centerpiece of the complex is the magnificent manor house, which sits in the center of the water surface covered with water lilies and is connected to the old outer courtyard only via the stone arch bridge. It still rests on the historic underground oak stacks and consists of several nested building parts and towers with different spiers, i.e. several spiers. The oldest parts, dating back to 1300, are on the northern side. Today's Renaissance building with its characteristic turrets was built in the mid-16th century. It survived World War II and the mining of the nearby Westhausen coal mine without damage. The Baroque landscape garden was built towards the end of the 19th century. The adjacent forest was also part of it, but divided by the construction of the nearby A45 motorway. The garden has old trees, several ponds and fountains and extends around the aquatic area with the manor house.
The associated outer courtyard is clustered in a U shape in front of the bridge to the manor house and encloses a courtyard. It is also completely surrounded by a moat. After the conversion of all the historic buildings in the 1980s, life and work come together in the outer courtyard. There are family apartments and offices here, which together frame a large green lawn. The complex is dominated by the large residential tower located at the entrance with a half-timbered structure on a masonry shaft.