Veynau castle stands in the middle of the Veybach valley, built in 1340 to close the ring of castles around Euskirchen, and thus belonged to the Jülich castle-belt. This is a very extensive complex of buildings, comprising a main castle with Palas and two corner towers, as well as an inner fore-castle with two round towers and a very large outer fore-castle.
The castle is characterized by frequent conversions, but its original features are recognizable, so that the interesting details from the 14th century are still visible.
Dietrich Schinnenmann von Aldenhoven obtained the newly built castle in 1340 as a fiefdom of the Margrave of Jülich and reinforced it to become the strongest fort in this area. During its long history, the castle stood up to several wars, was often damaged, but always rebuilt and restored. The castle belonged to the Margrave of Jülich until 1722.
After the end of the duchy of Jülich there were continual changes of owner, until finally in 1843 the Duke von Aremberg acquired the entire estate. Today the main castle is owned by Prof. Harald, Baron von Elmendorff, who has extensively restored the castle with the aid of the State of North Rhine/Westphalia.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.