Anholt Castle
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The Anholt was eponymous for the former town Anholt , now part of Isselburg in North Rhine-Westphalia . The complex is one of the largest moated castles in the Münsterland and is located on the border with the Lower Rhine . Its origins lie in a defense structure from the 12th century to secure the property of the diocese of Utrecht . The graves are fed by the Issel .
Even if the name suggests that Anholt is a castle , it is actually a castle .
Residents and owners
In 1169, a gentleman from Sulen "en Anholt" was named for the first time as a feudal man of the Utrecht bishop Gottfried von Rhenen , which is why historians today assume that the moated castle Anholt was built before that year to protect the extensive territories of the diocese. However, it is historically guaranteed that at the latest under Stephan III. von Sulen (1313–1347) the feudal relationship with Utrecht was ended, because at that time the castle and the surrounding village were an imperial glory that belonged to the Lower Rhine-Westphalian Empire .
When the Anholter branch of the Herren von Sulen in the male line became extinct in 1380, the castle and the glory of Herberga von Sulen fell to her husband Hermann III. of gems . However, since this couple did not have a male ancestor either, Anholt came to the family of her husband Gysbert von Bronkhorst -Batenburg in 1402 through the marriage of Margaretha von Gemen . Emperor Sigismund confirmed to the Bronkhorst-Batenburgs in 1431 the imperial direct rights of their glory.
During the Geldern feud , Gysbert's son, Jakob I, sided with the Roman-German King and later Emperor Maximilian I and fought together with Johann II. Duke of Cleves against the Geldern Duke Karl von Egmond . As a result, Duke Karl tried unsuccessfully to take Anholt Castle by surprise in 1499. Another attempt by Duke Charles in 1512 was successful. Weakened by a previous plague epidemic, the castle had to open its gates to its enemies after three months of siege .
The castle complex remained in the possession of Geldern for 25 years . Although Jacob's successor, his cousin Dietrich III, had his direct imperial rights as Lord von Anholt confirmed in 1531, he only managed to get the castle back through a treaty in 1537. In return for the release of the castle and its glory, the Geldrian duke demanded high contributions . In addition, the castle, town and country had to be kept open to the dukes, but only three years later Emperor Charles V released the Lords of Anholt from these obligations. However, the supporters of the Union of Utrecht during the Eighty Years' War paid no heed to this fact and, citing the treaty of 1537, demanded that Anholt join the alliance against Spain. The refusal of the Catholic Dietrich was followed by the siege of the city by the Geusen . Dietrich wanted to protect the poorly fortified city through negotiations and opened the city's gates for this purpose after the members of the Union had promised not to use any violence. But only moments after they passed the city gates, they broke their promises. They looted Anholt and set fires in many places. It was only when Duke Wilhelm V of Kleve sent troops for relief that the looters fled. The castle suffered a similar fate in the Thirty Years' War , when it was plundered and pillaged again.
Dietrich IV died as the last male representative of the family - meanwhile elevated to the rank of count by the emperor - after he had transferred the castle and county to the husband of his daughter Maria-Anna, the imperial count Leopold Philipp Carl zu Salm , Wild- und Rheingraf , in 1647 . In 1743 his descendant Nicolaus Leopold was given the hereditary title of Prince of Salm-Salm by the Emperor .
In 1802 the rule of Anholt was combined with the offices of Bocholt and Ahaus of the abolished Princes of Munster to form the Principality of Salm . In 1810 the Principality of Salm fell to France. In the course of the Congress of Vienna , the sovereignty of the Principality of Salm was not restored, but the areas were assigned to Prussia . Anholt Castle remained the residence of the princes. Today it is one of the few large privately owned facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Building history
Core castle
The first verifiable castle complex, built before 1169, includes the almost eleven meter wide, round keep (the so-called thick tower ), a small residential building in the northeast corner of today's complex and a wall ring that once enclosed an oval area.
The entrance to the keep was a high entrance and at that time was almost seven meters above today's pavement of the inner courtyard and was only accessible via rope ladders. Below this entrance was the dungeon . Built in a swampy area, the entire complex was made of tuff stone on a foundation of wooden piles that had been driven into the boggy subsoil.
In the 14th century, the core castle was expanded considerably and was given dimensions that were only slightly smaller than today's. The extension buildings were also given post gratings made of oak wood as a foundation. The original house was raised and expanded to defend itself. Two-story residential wings were built on the east and south sides. After this expansion, the western and northern fronts of the castle consisted only of two-meter-wide, accessible defensive walls with hexagonal watchtowers.
During the 16th century, the west and north sides were expanded for residential purposes. The construction of two stair towers in the north-west and north-east corner of the main castle can also be dated to this time .
Around 1700, at the instigation of Prince Karl Theodor Otto zu Salm, the complex was expanded into a representative baroque residence with the character of a castle. The thick tower received its current, towering roof spire , and the other buildings were also crowned with a uniform slate roof. Along with the renovation, all facades were given a uniform plaster , in which - in keeping with the taste of the times - a pattern was carved that imitated large ashlar stones. In addition, a two-storey pavilion was placed in front of the north front to provide access to the first park .
Outer bailey
The origins of the so-called “Unterhoff” lie in the time of the first expansion of the core castle. Excavation results suggest that the dimensions of the outer bailey already at that time corresponded to their current dimensions . The entrance still leads through the so-called bell tower . The coat of arms of Emperor Charles V (from 1540) and Duke Karl von Egmond (from 1512) embedded in its walls remind of the occupation of the castle by Geldrian troops.
In the years 1697 to 1703 the outer bailey was rebuilt according to plans by the Milanese architect Tommaso Tommassini.
Outdoor facilities
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The first gardens of Anholt Castle date back to the 18th century and were laid out in symmetrical shapes based on the Baroque model of French garden art .
According to garden plans, which were commissioned by Florentin zu Salm-Salm from 1831, areas of the park were redesigned into an English landscape garden first by the Düsseldorf court gardener Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe and from 1858 by the English garden architect Edward Milner , who laid out canals and ponds . In the process, the park was largely expanded. In 1945 the gardens were destroyed, but between 1962 and 1995 - partly again in the original baroque garden style - reconstructed and restored.
Inspired by the impressions of his honeymoon, Leopold zu Salm-Salm had Leopoldspark built for his wife in the south-western part of the outdoor area from 1892 to 1900, modeled on Lake Lucerne . It was equipped with a miniature lake, framed by an artificial rock landscape, and an original Swiss house . At the beginning of the 20th century, the popularly known "Leopoldspark" was converted into a game reserve. Rebuilt by Nikolaus Leopold Prince zu Salm-Salm after the destruction of World War II , it was opened to the public in 1966 under the name Anholter Switzerland .
Reconstruction and current use
In the spring of 1945, Anholt and Anholt Castle were badly damaged by fighting during World War II. The castle complex was 70 percent damaged. Near the castle there were launch pads for the V2 rockets bombed by British planes. The lord of the castle at the time, Nikolaus Leopold Heinrich zu Salm-Salm, began to take measures to save the castle immediately after the destruction. Since he had recognized that a new economic basis had to be found for the preservation of the castle complex and its treasures, he included the castle early on in the considerations for the development of shopping and excursion traffic in Anholt.
In 1947 and 1950, at the invitation of the owner, the so-called Anholt Circle, a group of well-known architects and town planners, met in the Anholt Castle, who had previously worked in the immediate vicinity of the Reich Minister of Armaments Albert Speer with the expansion of the Reich capital Berlin to the world capital Germania and with the preparation of the reconstruction bombed cities: Rudolf Wolters , Ernst Neufert , Friedrich Hetzelt , Friedrich Tamms and Konstanty Gutschow, among others . They gave numerous suggestions for the reconstruction of Anholt and its castle.
After the restoration of Anholt Castle, it could be inhabited again by the princely family. At the same time, many parts of the facility were made accessible to the public. In addition to a museum, the parks can also be visited for a fee. The castle also houses a hotel with a restaurant and a golf club.
museum
A museum was opened in the castle in 1966. It gives the visitor an insight into social life and court culture on Anholt. Among other things, the largest private collection of paintings in North Rhine-Westphalia with numerous works by well-known Dutch masters such as Rembrandt (for example The Bath of Diana with Actaeon and Callisto ), Jan van Goyen and Gerard ter Borch (portrait of Gesina ter Borch as shepherdess), testimonials stately home decor, the armory and an extensive porcelain collection can be visited.
The museum also shows many original interiors, because they were moved to a tunnel during the Second World War and have therefore been preserved. For example, wooden floors that are over 400 years old can be seen in some rooms.
Library
The castle library is also open to visitors. It consists of a 230 m² hall in the classicism style and was completed in 1860. The holdings include the closed library of the Cistercian monastery Groß-Burlo, the library of the Counts of Bronckhorst-Batenburg from the period between 1400 and 1650 and the library of the Princes of Salm-Salm with documents from 1650 to today.
literature
- Eberhard G. Neumann: Anholt moated castle (= large architectural monuments . Issue 294). Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1976.
- Silke Parras: The Marstall of Anholt Castle (16th to 18th century). Sources and materials on the history of horse keeping in the Münsterland. Tenea, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-86504-169-8 ( online ).
- Nickolaus Leopold Prince of Salm-Salm: Wasserburg Anholt (= Small Art Guide. No. 1681). 3. Edition. Schnell and Steiner, Regensburg 2003, ISBN 978-3-7954-5390-9 .
- Gregor Spor: How nice to dream away here. Castles on the Lower Rhine . Verlag Peter Pomp, Bottrop / Essen 2001, ISBN 3-89355-228-6 , pp. 66-67.
- Josef Tinnefeld: The rule of Anholt. Its history and administration until it passed to the princes of Salm. Lax, Hildesheim 1913.
Web links
- Entry by Stefan Eismann on Anholt in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute
- Website of the Princely Salm-Salm'schen administration based at Anholt Castle
- 360-degree panorama of the castle (Flash plug-in required)
- Pictures of the castle in the picture archive of the LWL media center for Westphalia
Individual evidence
- ↑ muensterland.de , accessed on 7. January 2017.
- ^ Rosemarie Vogelsang, Reinhard Lutum: Joseph Clemens Weyhe (1807–1871). A Rhenish horticultural artist . Grupello Verlag, Düsseldorf 2011, ISBN 978-3-89978-159-5 , p. 44
- ^ Regional Association Westphalia-Lippe: Park facilities of the moated castle Anholt in LWL-GeodatenKultur
- ^ Regional Association Westphalia-Lippe: Anholter Switzerland in LWL Geodata Culture
- ^ Werner Durth : German architects. Biographical entanglements 1900–1970 . Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-423-04579-5 , p. 332 ff.
Coordinates: 51 ° 50 ′ 40.9 " N , 6 ° 25 ′ 38.4" E