Rheda Castle was first mentioned in 1170. It was built by Widukind von Rheda, who passed it on to the Lippe nobility. In 1365, the castle was inherited by Count Otto von Tecklenburg. From the beginning of the 17th century, the castle was developed into a princely residence by the House of Bentheim-Tecklenburg.
The wing buildings are magnificent elements of the Weser Renaissance and the Westphalian Baroque. The wing buildings are connected by the medieval defence towers. The castle chapel is outstanding, representing a unique interpenetration of fortified, residential and sacred space. In its conception and sophistication, the castle chapel is an important testimony to late Romanesque architecture. Unique in Europe is the sequence of wallpapers in the castle's 'wallpaper room'. The ornate Biedermeier wallpapers produced by Zuber & Cie in Rixheim can still be admired in their original places. Various historic carriages are on display in the castle's carriage museum. From Landauers to children's carriages, carefully maintained examples can be admired here.
Take some time to discover the castle's garden. It was reconstructed for the State Garden Show according to plans from the 19th century. The garden is beautifully framed by the Ems, the castle meadows and the Flora Westfalica park.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.