Schloss Merten is a building belonging to a former Augustine monastery, which was founded by the neighbouring castle. It is likely that the monastery was donated by Countess Mathilde von Sayn and was first mentioned in a document by Otto von Kappenstein and his wife Kunigunde in 1217.
In 1699 the monastery was burned down. It was not until 1791 that the southern wing was rebuilt. The overall site also includes a small neo-Baroque palace, known as the orangery, which the Counts Droste zu Vischering von Nesselrode-Reichenstein had built around 1909 after acquiring the monastery buildings.
The overall site now houses a home for the elderly and a care home.The grounds with the palace garden and the cafeteria in the orangery are open to the general public.
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.