Westerwinkel Castle, Ascheberg, Germany

Westerwinkel Castle is one of the earliest baroque castles in Westphalia. The closed four-winged complex was built in the middle of the 17th century. The castle changed hands several times. It came into the possession of the present lords of Westerwinkel, the Counts of Merveldt, in 1555 when Herman von Merveldt married Ursula von Diepenbrock, heiress daughter of Westerwinkel.

The castle was built in the middle of an English garden. It is a complex of moats whose origins can be traced to the early Baroque style and whose principles correspond to the moats of the castle in the Middle Ages. However, the moats were not dug for defensive purposes, as this system of defence was already obsolete at the time, but with an architectural objective that is representative of the Baroque style.

The entire complex extends over two rectangular islands, the buildings are on the eastern island, the garden is on the western island. Very striking are the different perspectives on the palace when walking around the historic complex.

References:

muensterland.com

Jan Hus Memorial

The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.

Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.

zbyglus (2 years ago)
Beautiful castle

Tony King (3 years ago)
There is really not s lot to see here! The Schloss is substantially a very new reconstruction and operates as a hotel for bikers including not a few geriatric "bike hogs" A pleasant short walk but that's about all.

Marcus Bennemann (4 years ago)
Great Golf parcour around an old Water Castle

Mahmoud Fbi (5 years ago)
Nice place

Westerwinkel Castle

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