The Château de Thillombois is a Renaissance château significantly remodeled in the 19th century. The original château dates from the 12th century. Its size at the time was much larger than the current one that stands today. It was one of the largest medieval domains of the area, owned by a French noble family who also possessed, among others, the Château de Jarny, located in what is now known as Jarny in the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. Heavily damaged in the 17th century during the Thirty years War, the château managed to retain a tower and a wing, while the surrounding villages were pillaged by Croats. restored by successive generations, emptied of all of its goods during the Reign of Terror, the castle found a new life in the 19th century when the heiress of the estate, the Countess d'Oryot-Apremont, married the Count of Nettancourt-Vaubécourt which then allowed a sufficient capital contribution to add a new main building and to restore the existing rooms around 1873.
The château remained within the Nettancourt-Vaubécourt family until 1961, where it was then acquired by the commune of Mantes-la-Ville into a summer camp center. The center fell into disuse in the 1980s. It was left to fate, until it was rented in the early 1990s by the Connaissance de la Meuse cultural association, who continued to make renovations and improvements. In 2010 the association became the official owner so that the château could remain in the public domain.
References:Kakesbeck is one of the largest medieval fortifications in Münsterland and the oldest castle in Lüdinghausen. The imposingly grown complex originated in 1120 as a motte, a small hilltop tower castle. After numerous changes of ownership, the castle was extended onto two islands, but it was not until the 14th century that it underwent significant alterations and extensions under the von Oer family. The estate experienced its heyday in the middle of the 18th century, when it covered an area of almost one square kilometre and consisted of five further outer castles in addition to the core castle, which were secured by ramparts and moats.
The well-maintained condition of the castle today is thanks to the late Wilfried Grewing, the former lord of the castle. The foundation named after him has been particularly committed to preserving the property since 2020.