Oberbolheim Castle

The Old Castle, also known as the Sunken Castle, is the ruin of a lowland castle in the forest near Nörvenich in the Düren district of North Rhine-Westphalia. Its remains lie about 500 meters north of Nörvenich on the steep slope of the Neffelbach, a tectonic depression.

The castle complex is a so-called large motte. The main castle was built of stone and must have been inhabited in the 13th century. Hermann IV von Saffenberg is mentioned as the lord of the castle.

The castle was about 60 by 35 meters in size. A moat about 25 to 30 meters wide and ten meters deep separated the horseshoe-shaped outer bailey from the main castle. The outer bailey, with its six to eight meter wide ramparts and moats, was five meters lower than the main castle. At its longest extent, the outer bailey measured about 100 meters, about 90 meters wide in front of the main castle moat, and about 70 meters in the middle.

Today, only a few wall remains are left. The complex was entered into the list of archaeological monuments in Nörvenich under No. 4 on January 3, 1986.