Raeren Castle

Raeren Castle
Raeren Castle
Alternative name (s):	"Zen Roideren"
Creation time :	around 1350
Castle type :	Niederungsburg
Conservation status:	Received or received substantial parts
Place:	Raeren
Geographical location	50 ° 40 '43 "  N , 6 ° 7' 14.5"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 40 '43 "  N , 6 ° 7' 14.5"  E

The castle Raeren is a moated castle in the same Belgian city Raeren near the border with Germany . It is also called "Lower Castle" because there is supposed to have been an "Upper Castle" in the Raeren corridor.

history

Initially the castle consisted of a nearly square residential tower with two floors, the construction of which dates back to the middle of the 14th century. Jean d'Alensberg is believed to be the builder, but this has not yet been proven. The complex was first mentioned in a document in 1425. Even then, surrounded by two ditches and several ponds, the tower, including the kitchen and the attached farm, was a fiefdom of the mansion of the nearby Aachen Marienstift . Archaeological excavations in 1968/69 have shown that there was a smelter for iron ore at this location as early as 1300 .

The first owner known by name was Johann van den Roideren in 1426, to whom the old name of the facility "zen Roideren" goes back. About the families of Nechtersheim from Kaldenbach and Belven the castle in 1552 came to John of Lomont, the crumbs as the husband of Anna the plant relevierte . Information about this can be found in the fiefdom register of the Aachen Marienstift. Johann's descendant, Philipp von Lomont, had the castle complex expanded significantly after a kitchen fire. Under him, from 1583, the house was enlarged, defensive walls were built and two large utility wings and two corner towers were built. For the new buildings - as for the residential tower - the typical building material of this region was used: bluestone . As a result of the work, the complex was given its current rectangular floor plan, made up of buildings grouped around a central courtyard.

After the castle had become dilapidated in the course of time, after 1791 under the then owner, the lawyer Peter Joseph de Nys (1757-1826), renovations in the romantic style took place. His coat of arms and that of his wife from the von der Gracht family still adorn the entrance portal of the complex. A fire on September 20, 1856 burned down all of the castle's farm buildings to the ground, but were then rebuilt.

After the municipality of Raeren bought the facility in 1960, they set up a pottery museum there. Another fire in 1982 destroyed valuable parts of the old building structure, which was then painstakingly restored , since Raeren Castle was the first East Belgian house to be listed as a historical monument in 1952 .

Todays use

Jug in the museum

The pottery museum was opened in 1963, made possible by the long excavations of the archaeologist Otto Eugen Mayer and his colleagues. It presents the history of the well-known Rhenish stoneware , especially Raeren stoneware , and the pottery from Raeren . Most of the exhibits come from archaeological finds and, through pieces from Roman times , the Middle Ages , the Renaissance and historicism, offer a comprehensive overview of the development of this craft.

The castle also houses the Raeren tourist office .

literature

• K. Buch: Castles and fortresses in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. A tour of discovery . GEV, Eupen 2002, ISBN 90-5433-159-3 , p. 161.
• Otto Eugen Mayer : On the building history of "Burg Raeren". In: Historical Eupen. Volume 6, 1972, pp. 69-72.
• Nikolaus Schmetz, Leo Wetzels, Hermann Scheiff: Castles and palaces in the Göhl valley (Belgium) . Flower Parade GoE, Hergenrath 1991, p. 19.
• Guy Poswick: Les Délices du Limbourg. Selbstverlag, Verviers 1951, pp. 367-372 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Burg Raeren  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

• History of Raeren Castle, after Guy Poswick (in French)
• Website of the Pottery Museum

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Castle history on the website of the Pottery Museum , accessed on April 6, 2018.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} N. Schmetz, L. Wetzels, H. Scheiff: Burgen und Schlösser im Göhltal (Belgium) , p. 19.
3. ^ Castle history on the old website of the pottery museum ( Memento from April 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ).
4. ↑ Information about the castle on the Raeren municipality website  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Accessed April 25, 2012.