Lütkenbeck Castle

Haus Lütkenbeck is a former moated castle in Münster, Westphalia.

The buildings, located in the southeast of the city near the harbor on Lütkenbecker Weg, are the remains of a baroque complex built between 1695 and 1720. The chapel of the house is still used for services and concerts. Originally built outside the gates of Münster, the buildings are now within the closed settlement area, but are extensively protected from city noise by the Telgenbusch and Sternbusch forest areas.

The estate on which the complex is located was an old fief of the Bishops of Münster. Around 1300, the Lords von dem Berge are documented as owners, followed by the Erbmänner von Drolshagen, who originally belonged to the Hessian knighthood. These died out at the end of the 17th century, bringing the estate into the possession of the Droste zu Vischering. In 1695, construction of the moated castle began. The construction contract probably went to Gottfried Laurenz Pictorius, who had already built Nordkirchen Castle. However, Lambert Friedrich Corfey is also mentioned as another master builder. In 1720, the castle was completed, but burned down in the same year without being rebuilt; only the pavilions and outbuildings belonging to the castle remained. The chapel retained its function. The other buildings continued to be used for agricultural purposes. Occasionally, smaller folk festivals took place here. In 1801, the Erbdroste left the estate for a few years to Count Friedrich Leopold zu Stolberg-Stolberg as a summer residence. The poet described the "friendly spot" very vividly. The Erbdrosten themselves only lived here for a short time in 1884.