Krickenbeck Castle (Hinsbeck)

Before the construction of the castle and its direct predecessor at the current location, Krickenbeck Castle, also known as "alde Borch" or Alt-Krickenbeck, was located about two kilometers south on the Nette river. The first documented owner of this castle was Heinrich Count of Krickenbeck in 1104, whose family origin lies in the mists of history. His family is counted among the old dynastic lineages, but died out around the middle or end of the 12th century. A Rainer Count of Krickenbeck and his daughter Alveradis of Krickenbeck-Millendonk are also mentioned, who - also around this time - married Friedrich Count of Berg-Altena. Their son Adolf I Count of der Mark, Altena and Krickenbeck, sold Bona de Crikenbeke to his brother-in-law Otto von Geldern in 1243. At this time, the Old Castle seems to have already been destroyed or at least rendered uninhabitable, as it is no longer mentioned, and the Counts of Geldern soon built a new castle at the site of the present castle. It is unclear why the old castle, which was certainly still inhabited by Count Rainer, was abandoned or destroyed. A possible cause could have been the military conflicts within the framework of the Isenberg Troubles, which had been ongoing since 1232. Adolf I fought between 1232 and 1243 against the heirs of his relative Friedrich von Isenberg, who had been executed in 1226 as the main conspirator against their mutual relative, the Archbishop of Cologne - Engelbert von Berg.

The origin of the present castle and the outer bailey can be dated to the middle of the 13th century, even if the majority of the building fabric is considerably younger.

On November 21, 1604, Arnold von Wachtendonk, the bailiff of Kempen, married Anna Salome von Holthausen. Krickenbeck Castle was mentioned in the marriage contract. The Wachtendonk/Holthausen alliance coat of arms can be seen on the northeast wall of the castle.

The castle experienced its heyday after numerous changes of ownership from 1623 under Imperial Count Johann Friedrich II von Schaesberg, governor at the Düsseldorf court of Jan Wellems, Elector Johann Wilhelm. Between 1708 and 1721, Johann Friedrich II von Schaesberg had the castle converted into a baroque manor house by the Venetian master builder Simon del Sarto. From 1856 to 1860, a further conversion into a neo-Gothic castle took place according to plans by the Cologne diocesan master builder Vincenz Statz. His clients were Count Rudolf von Schaesberg (1816–1881) and his wife Mathilde (1824–1891), née Countess von Waldburg-Zeil-Trauchburg.

On September 7, 1902, a fire destroyed the entire manor house. Count Wilhelm Heinrich (1855–1910) commissioned the Hanoverian architect Hermann Schaedtler with the new building. From 1903 to 1904, a three-winged castle in the Neo-Renaissance style was built.

After the Second World War, an order of sisters of the Holy Virgin and Martyr Catherine moved into the castle. Subsequently, it served as a retirement home for the then district of Kempen-Krefeld until 1969. From 1969, the castle stood empty and unused.

The Counts of Schaesberg owned the castle until its sale to WestLB AG in 1987. In 1989, WestLB AG chose it as the new location for its training activities. In close cooperation with the State Conservator in North Rhine-Westphalia, the castle, which had almost fallen into ruin, and its park were reconstructed and restored. This was accompanied by a large-scale ecological program for the renaturation, preservation, and promotion of this architectural and archaeological monument.

From time to time, an open day takes place, where interested visitors can view the castle and park grounds. In addition, public castle tours are offered several times a year for an entrance fee on a smaller scale.