Today’s target run: Rest day
Last Saturday, the Budman and I found ourselves on a bit of a daytrip to a charming area just north of Düsseldorf known as Münsterland. We had been graciously invited to the home of one of the Budman’s colleagues, resulting in a nice little tour of the countryside and a great dinner at a local restaurant.
Technically, this region stretches along a narrow strip to the north of Münster, which is known as the land of horses and moated castles. Many of the castles were originally surrounded by moats or built on islands to give their owners protection in the surrounding lowlands. Today, this is an area rich in farming and in raising livestock, including horses, as well as having its fair share of coal mines.
About 50 of these castles (or manor houses) have survived and are scattered throughout the region. Some have been converted into museums and/or restaurants; some are used as government buildings, while others are still residences in some form or fashion.
The first castle we visited as Schloss Nordkirchen (http://www.dunywood.de/html/schloss_nordkirchen.html). Nicknamed the “Westphalian Versailles”, it was built in 1703-34 for a local prominent family. While obviously not nearly as large as the original Versailles, there are similarities in the architecture and layout of the gardens. We arrived almost at dusk, so the lighting was not as good for photos as we would have hoped. Still you can take a look at a few of our photos as well as some pictures courtesy of the Germany Tourism website.
The front of Schloss Nordkirchen as well as.
an aerial view of the gardens (obviously not my personal photo).
Exterior of the castle facing the gardens.
Buddy and Holly tour the schloss and grounds.
The second stop was Burg Vischering, one of the oldest and best preserved castles in Westphalia. Founded in 1270, it was added onto in the 16th and 17th centuries. As we arrived almost at nightfall, the building’s exterior lights did a masterful job in showing off this castle.
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