Brempt Manor (Vorst)

In the wider area, there is hardly a municipality that boasts such a high number of noble residences as Vorst. There are no fewer than five: Haus Brempt and Haus Donk, both hidden on the edge of the built-up area, Haus Neersdonk 'under the hedge', which one could take literally - from the landscape perspective, Haus Raedt located in a dense park on Kempener Landstraße, and the venerable Gelleshof far away in Kehn.

Of all the noble residences, Haus Brempt is closest to the town center. Near the church, we see Haus Brempt down in a former hollow of the Schleckbach stream. The building itself stands on an artificially created hill, a so-called motte, which was surrounded by a wide inner moat.

In its current structural condition, Haus Brempt presents itself to the observer as a late Gothic noble residence with a manor house. The manor house dates from around 1650/60. The gate tower is likely from an earlier period. It is three stories high and is protected by a very beautifully curved roof. The narrow portal is accessible via a staircase and features a Gothic pointed arch. Above it, we see the coat of arms of the Hertmanni family, who owned the house in the 18th century. The entrance hall has a barrel vault. Below the tower is a dungeon.

The gate tower gives us a clear indication that the manor house existing before 1650/60 stood in a different location than the current one. In ancient times, the manor house could only be entered via a drawbridge that spanned the wide inner moat. Even today, we can still recognize a trace of this. To the right above the main portal, a roller is still embedded in the masonry, over which a chain of the drawbridge ran.

Haus Brempt received its name from the von Brempt family, who owned it for centuries. As we know today, however, the Lords of Brempt were not the first owners of this noble residence. It must therefore have borne a different name in earlier times, which has not yet become known.