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 historical centre of Briançon is a strongly fortified town, built by Vauban to defend the region from Austrians in the 17th century. Its streets are very steep and narrow, though picturesque. Briançon lies at the foot of the descent from the Col de Montgenèvre, giving access to Turin, so a great number of other fortifications have been constructed on the surrounding heights, especially towards the east.
The Savoyards made two raids into French territory in 1691 and 1692. As a result, Vauban was dispatched to inspect the frontier defences, which had been ill-equiped to deal with the attack from Savoy. He returned to the area in 1700 to check on the progress that had been made since his first visit. When Vauban visited Briançon, work on the defences had already started under a local engineer, Monsieur d"Angrogne in 1692.