Melschede Castle (Langscheid)

Melschede Castle is a moated castle in Langscheid, a district of Sundern in the Sauerland. In its current form, it dates from the time of Ferdinand Freiherr von Wrede zu Melschede, who had it built as a four-wing complex between 1659 and 1669.

Melschede as a place is first mentioned in documents in 1281 as a bailiwick of the County of Arnsberg and was divided into two parts as a manorial seat in the Middle Ages. There is a lower house of a family (von) Melschede and an upper house of a family (von) Wrede.

In the lower house, a vassal of the Counts of Arnsberg, Hermann Vlecke, received bailiwick rights between 1280 and 1285. This was followed around 1300 by a Benkamp family, who from the middle of the 14th century referred to themselves as "von Melschede" derived from the place name.

The upper house was given to the Drost of Arnsberg, Albrecht/Albert Wrede, in 1364 as a thank you from the Elector of Cologne for his services in acquiring the County of Arnsberg.

After the extinction of the male line "von Melschede", the lower house came into the hands of the Ameker relatives of the Wrede family through marriage, who a short time later were able to buy the upper house from their relatives. Thus, both houses are in the possession of the still existing line of the Wrede-Melschede Barons.

From 1820 to 1822, the north wing and the two flanking towers were demolished, and the castle became an open three-wing complex. At the same time, the valley was transformed into an English park. Renovations from 1920 to 1922 partially restored the old appearance of the interior of the house and established its current exterior condition.

On July 1, 2010, the castle was sold to an entrepreneurial family from Neheim-Hüsten.