Lerbach Castle (Bergisch-Gladbach)

Schloss Lerbach is a former Neo-Renaissance manor house with an English landscape park in Bergisch Gladbach.

Originally, a moated castle stood here near a watercourse named Lerbach. The word Ler is probably derived from the Middle High German "lei/leie" (= rock, slate), which means Lerbach can be interpreted as Rock Stream. In May 1384, the castle was first mentioned in a document as a knight's estate, which passed into the possession of Johann von Hoenen.

In 1893, Richard Zanders acquired the complex for himself and his wife Anna von Siemens from Count Levin von Wolff-Metternich and had a manor house built in the English country house style by Ludwig Bopp according to plans by Gabriel von Seidl, which was completed in 1898. Subsequently, in 1900, he had the old moated castle demolished. Since then, the estate has been the seat of the Siemens and Zanders families.

Between 1961 and 1987, it was the seat of the Gustav Stresemann Institute under the name European Academy Lerbach. In 1988, it served, among other things, as a backdrop for the television series Forstinspektor Buchholz.

Since 1992, after extensive renovation work, the castle has been used as a hotel. From 1992 to 2008, it was home to the gourmet restaurant Dieter Müller, which was taken over by Nils Henkel in 2008 and renamed Gourmetrestaurant Schloss Lerbach in 2010. From 1998 to 2011, it was awarded three Michelin stars, and since then, two. It is operated by the Althoff Hotel Collection.