Schattenburg castle was mentioned in the chronicle by the monks Ortlieb and Berthold in 1138. Muntifurt Castle, mentioned in the first half of the 12th century, may have housed vassals of the Earl of Bregenz, who ruled over the area at the time. At his coming to power (1182) the Earl Hugo I, the grandson of the last Earl of Bregenz Rudolf (1150), repositioned his residence to Feldkirch Castle, important for reasons of power politics and the control of traffic.
For 200 years, the Castle remained the property of the Earls of Montfort. Upon the death of the last of the Montforts, Rudolf IV (1390), the castle and the power that came with it passed to the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs ruled the estate through governors who lived in the Castle until 1773.
Only from 1416 until 1436 was their rule briefly interrupted, when it came into the hands of the Earls of Toggenburg. Duke Friedrich of Austria’s help in the flight of the antipope Johannes XIII turned out to be fatal for him. Not only was he outlawed in the name of the Emperor and excommunicated, he also lost all is possessions, among which Feldkirch. In 1825 the City bought the partially ruined Castle from the state for 833 Guilders. Today Schattenburg is a museum.
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.