Dilborn Castle

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Dilborn Castle

Dilborn Castle is a former moated castle on the banks of the Schwalm and belongs to the municipality of Brüggen on the left Lower Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia .

history

The beginnings

The forerunner of the water castle Dilborn was probably built around 1200 on a moth .

13-18 century

Dilborn (= "source of the Odilia") was since the beginning of the 13th century fief of Duke Eduard von Geldern to the Lords Seger von Swalmen. It was first mentioned in a document in 1363 as this fiefdom. Between 1583 and 1854 it remained in the hands of the related families von Elmpt and Geloes, who belonged to the Meuse-Rhenish nobility . After the construction of the east wing in 1583, all investments stalled for almost three centuries, regardless of changing owners. After the von Geloes family, it was first the von Hoesch families, then the Imperial Counts von Hallberg in 1784. During their ownership, the long-lasting loss of substance took revenge for the first time: the ailing east wing had to be demolished.

19th century

After small investments in the first third of the 19th century, an era of stabilization began in 1854 with the sale of the moated castle to Count Julius von Schaesberg for Dilborn. The imperial count had a neo-Gothic castle chapel built in the castle pond, the garden and park were completely redesigned and a new economy was built south of the access road.

Dilborn Castle in 2006

20th century

In 1910, Imperial Count Julius von Schaesberg-Tannheim sold the castle to the Count Karl Theodor Eugen von Westerholt-Gysenberg's Westerholt administration in order to finance the reconstruction of his ancestral home at Krickenbeck Castle. From this point on there was no investment in maintaining the castle. Dilborn was partly leased as an agricultural property, partly rented to several parties for residential purposes. The artist couple Marie von Malachowski and Heinrich Nauen lived and worked on Dilborn from 1911 to 1931; they were among the most important representatives of Rhenish Expressionism.

In 1940 the palace was confiscated by the National Socialist government. As of April, the Reich Labor Service set up a camp there for “female employees”. At the end of 1944 the camp was probably closed in the course of the forced evacuation from Brüggen. Exact records on this do not exist; the last administrative documents are dated November 1944.

After 1945

Immediately after the Second World War, the Dernbach sisters and 240 orphans moved into the preserved parts of the building. The responsible Count Westerholt-Ahrensfeld initially made the castle available to the children's home for 10 years and gave an option to sell it. At the time of moving in, the castle was in a catastrophic state: "No electricity, no running water, no heating and all rooms were covered with foul-smelling straw."

In 1947 the ADJC (poor servants of Jesus Christ) bought the castle with all the outbuildings and around 15 hectares of land. However, only a provisional purchase agreement was signed as the property still had to be estimated. It was not until 1952 that the purchase was completed with a settlement sum of 100,000 DM.

The castle was converted for use as a children's home, with the city of Mönchengladbach providing assistance. The south tower and the south central tract were demolished right down to the foundations because they were in disrepair, and a new building "true to the image" was erected. The economy was also given a new purpose. 1952 began with the construction of the children's home on the grounds of the castle, 1953/54 all children could move. After the palace was completely rebuilt, the school rooms and the ballroom of the children's home were located here.

From 2000

At the end of 2007, Dilborn Castle was sold to the Swiss architect Auguste Triet, who lives in Düsseldorf. Triet, managing director of the company TBP Generalplaner , uses part of the castle and a. private, parts of the castle have been renovated.

The premises on the ground floor have been used by the Kulturforum Schloss Dilborn under the direction of Hermann Schröder since 2003. The cabaret, music and theater stage has almost 200 seats.

From 2006 to 2017 the Niederrhein Theater played regularly in the palace's cultural hall. Every year plays for children and adults were staged there, premiered in the castle and went on tour from here.

Abuse and education

In the first decades of the twentieth century, Dilborn was a “classic” orphanage and was mentioned in connection with child abuse.

“ Also in the children's home at Dilborn Castle near Brüggen, where the“ Brides of Jesus Christ ”from the“ Order of the Poor Maidservants of Jesus Christ ”were employed for many years, young people are said to have been severely abused in the 1960s and 1970s. "

- Alexander Markus Homes : The children of the devil - violence in the shadow of the cross

In the meantime, “Schloss Dilborn - Die Jugendhilfe” continues its work in the children's home in a new legal form and with an updated social orientation.

literature

  • Friedrich-Wilhelm Stroucken: Water Castle Dilborn . 1999.

Web links

Commons : Dilborn Castle  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Viersen district archive, Niederkrüchten inventory, Dilborn special file
  2. ^ 50 years of the Children's and Youth Village St. Josef Dilborn Castle; Chronicle of Philipp Grenzebach
  3. ↑ Alexander Markus Homes: Home education: help in life or custody? Violence and lust in the name of God . Norderstedt 2006. ISBN 3-8334-4780-X . Corresponding book excerpt [1]
  4. ^ Heinz-peter Tjaden: Round table for former children in care: Dernbacher sisters. In: Round table for former home children. November 17, 2009, accessed June 1, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Literature. Accessed June 1, 2020 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 14 ′ 5 ″  N , 6 ° 10 ′ 44 ″  E