New Castle Wachtendonk

The already ruinous Wachtendonk Castle was demolished starting in 1608, and so the secular representation had to find another seat. In the middle of the town, on Neustraße, a new seat was built around 1620 by the then Lord of Wachtendonk, Arnold III von Huyn-Geleen. The construction was probably completed for the wedding of his son Arnold Hugo (1619) or his daughter Alexandra Maria (1624). Many remaining stones from the castle were used in the masonry. The previous use of the area is unclear, but a channeled underground water supply to the monastery at the parish church, built in 1489, originated from here. The name Prinzenhof (Prince's Court) dates from the 18th century, when the Prince of Ligne was Lord of Wachtendonk. As the successor to the castle, it also logically bore the name "Haus Wachtendonk"; in dialect, it was simply called "Et Hoff". It was not permanently inhabited by the gentry but was rather a country estate for occasional visits. Only a few years ago, the property was restored; it now again shows the white pointing of the bricks, as it was preserved from the back of the house. The relatively simple brick building stands out from other buildings due to a projecting rounded risalit with a wide gate entrance. Above it was a spacious hall. A house chapel with a portable altar is also documented for 1771. The eight-part sash windows with transoms are a 19th-century addition. The same applies to the pointed-arch windows and a blind tondo for the attic rooms on the northern gable end. Brick-filled door openings confirm the extension or annex known from plans. The complex also continued to the south. This part collapsed in 1932.