Rheda Castle was first mentioned in 1170. It was built by Widukind von Rheda, who passed it on to the Lippe nobility. In 1365, the castle was inherited by Count Otto von Tecklenburg. From the beginning of the 17th century, the castle was developed into a princely residence by the House of Bentheim-Tecklenburg.
The wing buildings are magnificent elements of the Weser Renaissance and the Westphalian Baroque. The wing buildings are connected by the medieval defence towers. The castle chapel is outstanding, representing a unique interpenetration of fortified, residential and sacred space. In its conception and sophistication, the castle chapel is an important testimony to late Romanesque architecture. Unique in Europe is the sequence of wallpapers in the castle's 'wallpaper room'. The ornate Biedermeier wallpapers produced by Zuber & Cie in Rixheim can still be admired in their original places. Various historic carriages are on display in the castle's carriage museum. From Landauers to children's carriages, carefully maintained examples can be admired here.
Take some time to discover the castle's garden. It was reconstructed for the State Garden Show according to plans from the 19th century. The garden is beautifully framed by the Ems, the castle meadows and the Flora Westfalica park.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.