Burg Endenich: A Medieval Castle Complex in Bonn, Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Burg Endenich is a medieval castle complex in Bonn, Germany, in the district of Endenich. It may have developed from an estate acquired by the Cassius collegiate foundation, a collegiate religious institution in Bonn, around 1135, although that connection cannot be verified. Two knights living at the castle were first mentioned around 1200.
Medieval and early modern ownership
At the end of the fifteenth century, Burg Endenich passed from the Knights of Endenich to their descendants, the vam Huys family, also known as von Haus. In 1616, the daughter of the castle’s owner married Baron Engelhard von Weichs of Rösberg, a member of the Electorate of Cologne. This ecclesiastical principality was ruled by the archbishops of Cologne, who also held the office of prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire. The castle came into von Weichs’s possession in 1619.
The main castle had been destroyed by no later than the War of the Palatine Succession, a major European conflict fought from 1688 to 1697, although the destruction may have occurred earlier. In 1690, the property was sold to Johann Heinrich von Lapp, director of the Electoral Cologne court chamber, an official responsible for financial and property matters. It then became known as Lappenburg.
After Johann Heinrich von Lapp died in 1710, his only son, Joseph Clemens von Lapp, inherited the castle. With financial support from his wife, Maria Catharina Canto, he repaired and enlarged the property. The von Lapp family remained there until 1812, when the castle was sold to the legation councillor Karl Wilhelm Nose, a diplomatic official.
Nineteenth-century inheritance and municipal ownership
District administrator Ludwig Eberhard von Hymmen, who headed a local administrative district, acquired Burg Endenich in 1830. The property remained in the von Hymmen family by inheritance for 132 years. In 1962, the family sold it to the City of Bonn for 400,000 Deutsche Mark, and the castle remains city property.
Since 1995, the Endenich Castle Association has overseen the use of Burg Endenich by local associations. On 4 December 2006, the property was entered on the City of Bonn’s list of monuments as a protected architectural monument. Parts of the former grounds were incorporated into the Karl Simrock secondary school and a public sports and park area.
Remains
Burg Endenich stands in the centre of Endenich near the Endenicher Bach. The stream was formerly connected to the castle moat, while the road beside the property was once called Baachjass and is now named Am Burggraben. The surviving complex consists of the former outer bailey, the castle’s outer courtyard, with a manor house and a street wing. The main castle itself has been lost.
Surviving buildings
Manor house
The manor house forms part of the surviving outer bailey. It now contains a branch of the municipal library and an event room used by associations. A portal carries a Hymmen coat of arms that is described as erroneous.
Street wing
The street wing is the other principal surviving building in the complex. It accommodates Endenich Volunteer Fire Brigade Unit 14 and a meeting centre for senior citizens.
Courtyard and park
A sweet chestnut grows in the inner courtyard. The tree is more than 130 years old and has a trunk circumference of over 4 metres. Together with eight other trees in the park, it forms a registered natural monument. The former castle grounds also extend into areas now used by the Karl Simrock secondary school and by a public sports and park area.
