Bladenhorst Castle, Castrop-Rauxel, Germany

Bladenhorst castle was first mentioed in 1266 as the residence of the lords of Blarnhurst lived there. At the beginning of the 14th century it became the possession of the family of Düngelen. In 1338, Rötger Düngelen made the castle available to the Duchy of Cleves to use in the event of war. Through marriage, in 1496 the castle passed to Philip of Viermünden. From 1624 to 1881 it was inherited by the Westphalian noble family of von Romberg.

The structure originally consisted of four wings. The gatehouse is the oldest part of the building, the chapel dates from 1332. The castle as it stands is in the style of the Renaissance - coming from its rebuilding between 1530 and 1584.

Today castle is still inhabited, and privately owned, consequently there are no public tours or visits, some parts of the castle are rented out to private individuals.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Justyna Borowa (18 months ago)
Ein wunderschönes Schloss. Ein charmanter Ort. Einen Besuch wert Rund um tolle Radrouten. Wiosną przepiękny. Duży. Robi wrażenie. Niedaleko świetne trasy ma rower i fajna knajpka. Polecam zobaczyć ten

Angie Schaffrin (18 months ago)
Wunderschönes kleines Schloss in Privatbesitz. Eine Umrundung ist leider nicht möglich. Für weitere Informationen am besten auf der Website nachschauen. Vom Wanderparkplatz vor dem Schloss führen aber mehrere Wanderwege durch die unmittelbare Umgebung. Daumen hoch.

U. M. (18 months ago)
Ist schön anzuschauen, aber wohl nicht zugänglich, da in Privatbesitz.

Lientjie Maritz (19 months ago)
Go for a wonderful stroll and sightseeing!!

Moshé Issaharov (2 years ago)
Pretty

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Peer.Gynt

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The five-domed church looks simpler but no less impressive than its prototype, the thirteen-domed St Sophia of Kiev. The cathedral exterior is striking in its majesty and epic splendour evoking the memories of Novgorod's glorious past and invincible might. In the 11th century it looked more imposing than now. Its facade represented a gigantic mosaic of huge, coarsely trimmed irregular slabs of flagstone and shell rock. In some places (particularly on the apses), the wall was covered with mortar, smoothly polished, drawn up to imitate courses of brick or of whitestone slabs, and slightly coloured. As a result, the facade was not white, as it is today, but multicoloured. The play of stone, decorative painting and the building materials of various texture enhanced the impression of austere simplicity and introduced a picturesque effect.

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There is yet another bronze gate in the cathedral, called the Korsun Gate. Made in the 11th century in Chersonesos, Byzantium, it leads from the southern gallery into the Nativity Side-Chapel. Legend has it that the gate was handed over to Novgorod as a gift of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (c. 978 - 1054).

The interior of the cathedral is as majestic as its exterior. It is divided by huge piers into five aisles, three of which end in altar apses. In the south-western corner, inside the tower, there is a wide spiral in relatively small, modest buildings of the 12th - 16th centuries.

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