To be privately owned
CastleRatingen-Eggerscheidt
Gräfgenstein Castle
Gräfgenstein Castle, also known as Griffgenstein, is a partially preserved medieval hilltop castle complex at 100 m above sea level and a listed building on the Angerbach in Ratingen. The castle is located on private property, about one kilometer southeast of the village of Eggerscheidt, today a district of Ratingen. It is located about 30 m above the valley floor and a former ford of the Anger river. This river also temporarily formed the border between the sphere of influence of the Counts of Berg and the Cologne dominion.
An exact founding year is not documented. A founding in the 13th century is suspected, with the castle serving as a ministerial seat and military base for the Counts of Berg. There are only documents from the 15th century in which the castle complex was referred to as Griffgenstein. In 1860, the castle became the property of the Counts of Spee. Today, the castle is a popular excursion destination in the vicinity of Ratingen.
Architecture+
The builders of the castle chose a steep slope above the ford to erect the defensive complex. Of the buildings, only those built along the hillside have been preserved. In the center of these buildings still stands the four-and-a-half-story residential tower made of unplastered quarry stone with an eave height of 13.30 m. Adjacent structures are only solidly built in the basement and serve as outbuildings for an agricultural operation. Defensive walls, gate, and moats on the access side to the north are no longer present. On the west side, a flat small hill catches the eye, which has not yet been archaeologically investigated and may be the remnant of a second tower.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://www.wehrbauten.de/thread.php?threadid=583
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 51.3111, 6.8947