Großbernsau Castle: A Medieval Water Castle in Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page5 sections
History
Medieval Origins and Noble Ownership
Großbernsau Castle, also called Neu-Bernsau, is a fourteenth-century lowland water castle in Overath, Germany. Built on relatively level, wet ground and protected partly by water, it was probably inhabited until the eighteenth century. The castle was one of eight knightly seats in Overath, residences or fortified estates associated with members of the medieval and early-modern knightly class. The other seats were Auelburg, Alt-Bernsau, zur Moelen, Vilkerode, Steynhuys, Brambach, and Kombach.
When Wilhelm von Bernsau died in 1532, the castle passed to his son-in-law, Goddert van Wylich, who died around 1560. Ownership later moved through the von Schoeller, von Steinen, and von Schaesberg families.
Ruin and Protection
Heinrich Reichsgraf von Schaesberg-Thannheim sold the ruin to Johann Dünn in 1904. The City of Overath has owned Großbernsau Castle since 2009. Its tower collapsed during the Second World War, and the site is protected as an archaeological monument, a legally protected place whose historical evidence is preserved mainly in the ground or in archaeological remains.
Remains
Layout and Surviving Fabric
The ruin lies in the Agger lowland in the northern part of Overath, North Rhine-Westphalia. The castle occupied an area of approximately 30 by 30 metres and was enclosed by a small moat. The tower has collapsed, while an approximately four-metre-high section of the outer wall remains recognizable. No other surviving building fabric is recognizable.
