Lipperode Castle (Ruin)

The castle with the adjacent lands was granted as a fief. The Lippe Regesta list the castellans Dietrich von Ervethe (= Erwitte), Heinrich von Bredenole, Mayze von Ekeneberg, Helmig von Ervethe and Gohert Boleke in 1363. In 1410, Johann von der Borgh was endowed with a hereditary castle fief, "along with the rampart near the lower gatehouse".

In 1476, the brothers Philipp and Bernd von Hörde received the castle fief. Pledging arrangements were also entered into, meaning that for a pledge sum, ministerials were enfeoffed with the castle and its revenues, for example, the Lords of Wendt between 1496 and 1558. After 1589, the castle vogtei (bailiwick) and administration by comital-Lippe officials ended. A manorial domain developed.

In 1600, Count Simon VI zur Lippe decided to build a fortress in Lipperode based on the Dutch model. How he came to this decision is not clear. The construction of the fortress was associated with high costs. The Dutch fortress construction specialist Johann van Rijswijk, who had already designed a pentagonal, star-shaped fortification in 1601, was secured for the construction. With the advent of firearms and cannons, the existing defensive structures had to be redesigned and bastions, protruding from the wall ring and capable of accommodating cannons, had to be built. The Dutch were experienced and built quickly and cheaply because they used earth instead of stones as building material and exploited the groundwater-rich terrain by constructing wide moats. The excavated material from these moats was also used for the construction of the ramparts and bastions.

For the construction of the fortress, the Dutch master builder Jetze Igens from Leeuwarden was engaged, who began work in 1604. After five years, the elaborate structure with its five mighty bulwarks, high main ramparts, and wide moats was completed. During the construction period, the western part of the village also had to be relocated northwards and systematically rebuilt along today's Bismarckstrasse, with Wilhelm- and Hindenburgstrasse. And so, one of the largest fortresses in East Westphalia was created.

In 1613, Simon VII took over the regency. He was a peace-loving count, keen on compromise, and since the construction of such a large fortress had caused much annoyance and anger among all neighbors, the first 300 men arrived in October 1616 to raze the fortress. However, since everything had to be inexpensive, the main demolition work lasted about forty years. The demolition was only completely finished in 1763.

In the meantime, the old castle site was used as an official residence. From here, bailiffs administered the "Ambt Lipperode/Cappel". Around 1790, the official residence was also abandoned. The administration moved to the "Tannenbaum" manor house. In 1837, the essential parts of the official residence were demolished. The stones served the people of Lipperode for their house construction. In 1886, the administration of the office was moved from "Tannenbaum" to Cappel. Both communities formed this office until 1928. Since that year, Lipperode became an independent municipality again, belonging to the Detmold district.