Wilhelmstein Castle

Wilhelmstein Castle
Creation time :	1265-1269
Castle type :	Niederungsburg
Conservation status:	ruin
Standing position :	Ministeriale
Construction:	Quarry stone
Place:	Bardenberg
Geographical location	50 ° 50 ′ 30 " N , 6 ° 6 ′ 7" E Coordinates: 50 ° 50 ′ 30 " N , 6 ° 6 ′ 7" E

The castle Wilhelmstein is the ruin of a castle in the valley of the worm on its eastern shore at Würselener district Bardenberg in the Aachen region . It houses an open-air theater and is the venue for concerts, cabaret and cinema every year from May to September.

construction

The Niederungsburg was built with quarry stone walls and a defensive bastion as a refuge , so that in times of war and emergency the population could find protection from the feudal yards and from the village of Bardenberg. The ruin consists of an originally protected by a moat bailey with round tower and Gothic archway and the former five-story castle keep with adjoining Palas . The round tower of the outer bailey was originally the dungeon of the castle, and the role of the drawbridge chain can still be seen today.

history

At the time of the Germanic tribes, the Wurm formed the border between the Jülichgau and the Maasgau at the site of the castle, and later, during the time of church rule, between the Archdiocese of Cologne and the Diocese of Liège . In the Middle Ages , the border of the Aachen Empire ran about 1 km south.

From 1265 to 1269, Count Wilhelm IV of Jülich built Wilhelmstein Castle, named after him, on the remains of an older border fortress. However, it is only mentioned in writing in 1344. Originally it is the seat of the Jülich district Wilhelmstein , one of the offices in the Duchy of Berg , to which, in addition to three courts, among others, Bank, Bardenberg , Broich, Dürwiß , Euchen , Hamich , Hastenrath , Heistern , Kohlscheid , Langerwehe , Linden-Neusen , Niederbardenberg , Nothberg , Ofden , Pley , Volkenrath , Vorweiden and Werth .

The castle Wilhelmstein had in the years 1690/1691 especially under the devastation by French troops Louis XIV . to suffer, which made the Rhineland unsafe on their raids. During the War of the Spanish Succession at the beginning of the 18th century, the complex was badly damaged. The castle had changed hands several times over the centuries.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the French administration declared the castle and its surrounding forests to be state property and sold the property to private individuals. In 1825, already belonging to Prussia and finally owned by the von der Brügghen family , the property was foreclosed for 1,500 thalers gold to the family of the Prussian district administrator Friedrich Joseph von Coels von der Brügghen , whose descendants gave the property to the current owners, the family, in 1950 Sevenich, resold.

Fortress
entrance
patio

Web links

Commons : Burg Wilhelmstein - Collection of images, videos and audio files