#herten

A Postcard from my Twilight Zone

for Alex, because he is who he is. A wonderful friend. Sending a tight hug.

And here comes the soundtrack from the grumpy old boys in the hood. Bohren & The Club of Gore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9YnjDpZH80

- English -

Herten Castle

The Herten moated castle is not far from the city center of Herten, what was once the largest mining town on the European continent.

This gem from the Middle Ages lies in the middle of the Ruhr area, in the middle of a large and remarkable castle park with ancient forest. The late Gothic castle and the extensive 30 hectare castle park invite you to visit with the whole family.

Herten Castle was first mentioned in 1376. The family of those von Herten, liege men of the Abbey Werden, was first mentioned in 1286 with Gerlach von Hertene. Their former residence is believed to be in the town center of Herten at the parish church of St. Antonius.

In the 14th century, the knightly family built a permanent house on the site of today's castle, which was mentioned in 1376 as a fief of the Imperial Abbey in Werden. Herten Castle was initially built as a small weir system. The remains of a keep can still be seen today. In the period that followed, expansion and conversion into a representative castle took place.

By marriage, the Herten house came to the Lords of Galen in the mid-14th century. The heiress Elseke brought it to her husband Dietrich von Stecke in 1488 through her marriage in 1476. Anna von Stecke married Bertram von Nesselrode in 1529, heir to the duchies of Jülich and Berg.

Like numerous members of the Nesselrode family, he was a politically influential nobleman at the time and from 1539 to 1556 he was governor of Cologne in the Vest Recklinghausen. From 1530 he had the castle expanded as a closed fort with corner pavilion towers. The towers are still standing today.

The estate remained in the possession of the von Nesselrode family for almost 300 years. After eventful years, a siege in 1593 and a fire almost a century later (1687), Herten Castle was rebuilt by Baron Franz von Nesselrode until 1702. Baron Franz von Nesselrode-Reichenstein was elevated to the status of imperial count by Emperor Leopold I in 1702.

When the last male representative of the von Nesselrode, Johann Franz Josef von Nesselrode, died in 1826, the castle came through Johann's daughter Charlotte to the von Droste zu Vischering family, who was also elevated to the status of an imperial count in the same year.

The members of their Herten lineage then called themselves Droste zu Vischering von Nesselrode-Reichenstein. The family lived at the Herten estate until shortly after the First World War. However, after they moved to Merten Castle in Eitorf from 1920 and thus gave up Herten Castle as a place of residence, it was left to decay.

The castle remained unused and fell visibly into disrepair until it was sold to the Landscapes Association of Westphalia-Lippe in 1974. The site was renovated until 1989, making it accessible to the public.

The State clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy Herten is located in the western part, which also uses some historical buildings of the castle. The main castle is reached via a bridge from the outer castle, which in turn is surrounded by a moat and contains a coach house and chapel.

The main castle is today a late Gothic brick building with a closed courtyard. The four parts of the building surrounding it have the shape of a trapezoid. The castle with its characteristic corner towers is surrounded by a moat, a moat. The castle is partially accessible, for example, offers a restaurant, but is mainly used by the clinic.

 After the Schlosspark was awakened from its more than 50-year-old sleeping beauty in 1974, as a People's park it is an integral part of the life of (not only) the people of Herten.

Between 1687 and 1702 the park was transformed from a strict baroque garden into a landscape park based on the English model. Count von Nesselrode even engaged Düsseldorf court gardener Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe to design the palace park.

The small pavilion, Tobacco house, in the castle park got its name from the two Counts Riaucourt - sons of a countess Nesselrode - who found shelter in Herten Castle from the French Revolution. In this garden shed they enjoyed the new fashion of smoking in front of the fireplace, which was frowned upon in the castle.

The orangery, built in 1725, was decorated by a balustrade with 12 statues at the time. It housed the garden casino, court parties were celebrated, orange and ornamental trees were raised and there was space for one of the most beautiful camellia collections.

In the meantime there is unfortunately only a ruin left. Missing repairs and mining damage hit the building, which was only partially renovated in the 1970s. The reconstruction of the surprisingly large orangery is still under discussion.

After the noble family moved from Nesselrode to Merten Castle in 1920, the park was only opened for special celebrations and processions. For nature and animals, it was a relaxing time behind the walls. The park overgrown, but also the Herten moated castle and the orangery decayed over time.

When the Land Association of Westphalia-Lippe bought the property with the castle in 1974, considerable renovation measures were necessary. Between 1974 and 1976 over 2 million DM were invested in the castle park alone. It was only made accessible when it was acquired by the state association.

Botanical treasures from all over the world can be found in the Herten castle park - chile fir trees, Japanese cypresses,  katsura trees or catalpa and  ghost trees. The star magnolia in front of the castle is one of the oldest in Westphalia.

The park was structured in a varied way with meadows, avenues, squares or even a rose garden and invites you to stroll. Rare giant trees, old forests, daffodil meadows, the maze and the open-air theater are grouped around the Herten Castle.

The castle ponds adjoin the picturesque moats, which are particularly impressive due to their biodiversity of waterfowl. Unfortunately, tons of invasive geese (Egyptian geese and Canada geese) have settled here, which obviously feel very comfortable and reproduce splendidly.

The green areas are correspondingly contaminated and the ponds are also badly affected by this overpopulation.

Kirche St. Marien Langenbochum - Herten, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany; 1973–77

Walter von der Lom, Hubert Meuser, Dirk Ellegiers (photographs by Helmut Stahl)

see map | about the architect 1, 2 | more information

… das ach so graue Ruhrgebiet

Die Meinungen, zumindest außerhalb des Ruhrgebiets sind oft klar, was das Aussehen des Lebensumfeldes anbetrifft. Grau ist die vorherrschende Farbe und je nach Produktion von Stahl und Eisen kann es auch gerne mal Dunkelgrau sein. Dazu eine zerklüftete, urbane Struktur, die mit Eisenbahnlinien und Stromtrassen durchzogen ist. Für die Natur und dem damit verbundenen Grün in seinen…