Lembeck Castle

A large pond with islands joined by bridges, and on them a castle whose towers are mirrored in the water on still days: Lembeck Castle is a Baroque moated castle with outer bailey, main house and park. It lies in the Dorsten district of Lembeck, where the Ruhr area turns into the Münsterland, in the middle of the Hohe Mark nature park. It has belonged to the same family for over 300 years.

History: from defensive tower to Baroque palace

The name comes from Low German and means something like "clay brook", a nod to the marshy ground the castle stands on. A knight called Adolf von Lembeck is first mentioned in 1177. When the family died out in the male line in 1526, the estate passed by marriage to the lords of Westerholt.

The complex took on its present form in the late 17th century: the east wing of the main house was completed in 1679 and the outer bailey in 1692, as the date above the gate shows. In 1708 the heiress Maria Josepha Anna brought the castle into her marriage with Ferdinand Dietrich von Merveldt. The Counts of Merveldt still own it today. Although the castle was lived in until 1960, a museum opened as early as 1952.

What to see

• The layout: The Lembecker Wiesenbach stream is dammed into a pond of 190 by 160 metres. A 500-metre axis orders everything symmetrically, from the avenue in the east via the outer bailey and main house into the park.
• Outer bailey: The plain front is 110 metres wide, with a sandstone gatehouse in the middle bearing the builders' coats of arms and the date 1692.
• Carriage hall: It is modelled on Italian palaces such as Palazzo Pitti in Florence, so guests could step out of their carriages dry even in the rain.
• Schlaun Hall: The largest room in the castle, 140 square metres, was designed by Johann Conrad Schlaun. Black marble fireplaces stand at each end, with portraits of the castle's owners above them.
• Corridor and tower room: The 45-metre corridor is hung with 17th-century Flemish tapestries showing scenes from the stories of Odysseus and Iphigenia. The tower room is the only living room with a rib vault; its fireplace dates from 1563.

The park

After 1692 a French-style Baroque garden was laid out west of the castle; in the 19th century it was reshaped into an English landscape park. From May to early June around 150 varieties of rhododendron bloom, in summer mainly English roses, and in autumn the leaves turn. Families will find a large playground and a picnic meadow.

Opening hours and admission (as of October 2026)

• Season: Good Friday to the end of October. Park entry Monday to Friday 11:00–17:00, weekends and public holidays 10:00–18:00.
• Castle museum: guided tours only, about 45 minutes. Without booking on the first Sunday and third Saturday of each month at 12:00, 13:00 and 14:00.
• Museum and park: adults €8, children (3–17) €4, family €20.
• Park only: adults €5, children €3, family €13.
• Payment: cash only.
• Different times and prices apply during major events.

Dogs are welcome in the park on a lead at no charge. The park is step-free; the museum rooms are not. Drones are banned over the whole site. Allow two to three hours for a tour and a walk round the park.

Tripto tip

For the classic photo, take your time on the banks of the castle pond. On a still morning the main house, chapel tower and outer bailey are reflected almost perfectly in the water.