Wittringen Castle
Encyclopedia
Wittringen Castle or Wittringen House (German: Schloss Wittringen or Haus Wittringen) is a moated castle
in Gladbeck
, North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
.
Ludolfus de Witteringe is today believed to have erected the castle around that time. The exact date is, however, unclear. Another document from 1394 mentions Heinrich von Brachtbecke, a distant ancestor of Nestlé
manager Peter Brabeck-Letmathe
, as the castle’s owner. The three Wolfsangeln
from of Brabeck's family crest were later also included in the crest of the city of Gladbeck.
In 1438, the Herzog of Cleves granted the von Oeffte family enfeoffment
of 50 percent of Wittringen. The family later acquired the other half and was thus the castle’s sole possessor for the next 150 years. In the mid-sixteenth century, Wittringen was given to the family of the Knights von Capellen as a betrothal gift. During the Thirty Years’ War, it was plundered by Hessian
troops in 1642.
In 1922, Freiherr
Vittinghoff-Schell, then the owner of Wittringen, sold the castle to the city of Gladbeck. In the following years, it was extensively overhauled, using historic maps and plans. The manor house
was re-modelled in its original style of the Dutch Renaissance. Since 1928, Wittringen has been home to the museum of Gladbeck {Museum der Stadt Gladbeck) and today it also hosts a restaurant. The castle is surrounded by spacious forests, parks and the Gladbeck Stadium
.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in Gladbeck
Gladbeck
Gladbeck is a city in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.The name ´Gladbeck´ evolves from Low German, originally spoken in the area around Gladbeck. ´Glad´ means something like gleamy and ´beck´ means about brook. However, the brook Gladbeck flows under the ground...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
The noble family von Wittringen was first mentioned in an official document from 1263. KnightKnight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
Ludolfus de Witteringe is today believed to have erected the castle around that time. The exact date is, however, unclear. Another document from 1394 mentions Heinrich von Brachtbecke, a distant ancestor of Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
manager Peter Brabeck-Letmathe
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe is an Austrian businessman. He is the Chairman and former CEO of the Nestlé Group.-Early life:Brabeck-Letmathe was born in a family with its origins in Iserlohn-Letmathe in North West Germany....
, as the castle’s owner. The three Wolfsangeln
Wolfsangel
The Wolfsangel is a symbol. It is also known as the Wolf's Hook or Doppelhaken. The upright variant is also known as "thunderbolt" and the horizontal variant as "werewolf"....
from of Brabeck's family crest were later also included in the crest of the city of Gladbeck.
In 1438, the Herzog of Cleves granted the von Oeffte family enfeoffment
Enfeoffment
Under the European feudal system, enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of title in land by a system in which a landowner would give land to one person for the use of another...
of 50 percent of Wittringen. The family later acquired the other half and was thus the castle’s sole possessor for the next 150 years. In the mid-sixteenth century, Wittringen was given to the family of the Knights von Capellen as a betrothal gift. During the Thirty Years’ War, it was plundered by Hessian
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
troops in 1642.
In 1922, Freiherr
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
Vittinghoff-Schell, then the owner of Wittringen, sold the castle to the city of Gladbeck. In the following years, it was extensively overhauled, using historic maps and plans. The manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
was re-modelled in its original style of the Dutch Renaissance. Since 1928, Wittringen has been home to the museum of Gladbeck {Museum der Stadt Gladbeck) and today it also hosts a restaurant. The castle is surrounded by spacious forests, parks and the Gladbeck Stadium
Stadion Gladbeck
Stadion Gladbeck is a multi-use stadium in Gladbeck, Germany . It is used as the stadium of Germania Gladbeck matches. The capacity of the stadium is 15,000 spectators.-External links:*...
.