Engelsdorf Castle

Engelsdorf Castle is located in Engelsdorf, a district of the municipality of Aldenhoven in the Düren district, North Rhine-Westphalia, on the Merzbach stream.

The former moated castle was first documented in 1080. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The thickness of the walls and the moat, which received its water from the Merzbach, still show that this castle was heavily fortified in earlier times. It was the ancestral castle of the Lords of Engelsdorf.

In 1476, with the estate settlement of the Aachen provost Reynart von Palant, his nephews and brothers Werner III zu Pralant, Lord of Breitenbend, and Gerhard (Geyrhart) von Palant received shares in the house, palace, and castle of Engelsdorf, which thus probably became a joint inheritance castle. They immediately sold their shares to Emont zu Pralant. Until 1850, the defensive wall enclosing the courtyard and the moated castle was also still preserved.

In the 19th century, the castle came into the possession of the Opfergelt family.

In 2007, the Gothic tower vault, which was in danger of being pushed apart by the masonry, was secured. The renovation costs amounted to 50,000 Euros.

The artist couple Fernandez from Chile has owned the castle since 1989 and operates a studio within it.