Ehreshoven Castle

Ehreshoven Castle is a moated castle in Engelskirchen, Oberbergischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It rose to fame as the residence "Schloss Königsbrunn" of Earl Johannes von Lahnstein, one of the richest men in Germany, and his family in the series Verbotene Liebe.

History

The castle was originally owned by the Abbey of Siegburg which had been founded in 1164 by the Archibishop of Cologne, Anno the 11th. Ehreshoven was mentioned first in 1355 when obviously it existed as a house or small castle. In 1396 it was given to the family of the count of Nesselrode and stayed in their possession until 1920.

The last owner was Marie Countess of Nesselrode who died unmarried and bequeathed the whole estate to the "Rheinische Ritterschaft" which can be translated as the "Knighthood of the Rhineland".

In 1924, they transformed it into the long expected "Damenstift" which is a charitable foundation for Cannonesses. This is what it is still known as today - a changing number of ladies living here under the leadership of a so-called "Äbtissin" who takes care of the household and the welfare of the Cannonesses. The estate is run by a trustee who has to gain enough profit from forestry and farming to provide for the well-being of the old ladies and to ensure the upkeep of the buildings and the grounds.

The castle of Ehreshoven is supposed to be "the most magnificient aristocratic residence" of the "Bergisches Land" which is the mountainous area around here.

Only parts of the original medieval buildings are supported at the rear of the castle of today. The chapel is part of the original buildings incorporated into the present manor house. Under Wilhelm of Nesselrode the house was essentially remodelled and the chapel built into the structure in 1595. This manor is considered a monument of high historical value to the area.

At the end of the 17th century, Philipp Wilhelm Christoph von Nesselrode and his wife built a new house integrating just the chapel and the northern part of the original castle.

The three-winged manor house and the big four-winged front house were built at this time. In the early 18th century, a French garden was installed in the north of the castle which is mainly intact today.

It is unknown who was the masterbuilder of this baroque castle nor whose plan it was, but it is most likely that the artist belonged to the Circle of the Düsseldorf Court.

In 1990, the whole manor house was renovated from the outside, the broken down roughcast replaced, and the original building's colour was given by the new painting in a light yellow colour which underlines its manificient look.