The original foundations of the Kleinbüllesheim Castle date back to circa 900 AD and were discovered in 1942 south of the present castle, during excavation work in the Second World War. The present castle was built with a protective moat. The two-storey brick building with rounded corners and attic-roof appears to visitors as a massive edifice. This impression is reinforced by the huge entrance gate, dating back to the 16th century, and by the square ground plan. The corner towers and the outside walls of the original fore-castle have been preserved from the 14th century. The moat has dried out and is only partly recognizable. The castle is privately owned and used for farming.
In 1042 one of the last Earls of Tomburg signed Kleinbüllesheim over to the cathedral chapter of Cologne. In 1728 Johann Conrad Schlaun built the manor house next to the late-gothic fore-castle, in place of the medieval moated castle for the elected Chamberlain of Cologne, Adam von Bourscheidt. Over the years there were continual changes of owner, the castle was passed from one aristocratic family to the next, but then it belonged to Earl Wolff von Metternich zur Gracht, who was registered as owner in 1850. Earl Paul Wolff von Metternich has been renovating the castle for years.
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.