Germany Haus Assen

Haus Assen Castle is located in Lippborg on the southern edge of Münsterland in central Westphalia. The associated Honsel estate on the Lippe ford was mentioned in an imperial charter by Henry II in 1023 as a gift to the Bishop of Paderborn. Both estates were located on the Royal Route (also known as the Frisian Route) from Soest via Honsel/Assen, Höxberg, Beckum, Warendorf, Osnabrück, Bremen, Hamburg, and Schleswig/Lübeck, making them strategically and logistically advantageous. Assen was probably originally a fortified motte and bailey castle, serving as a storehouse and refuge.

In 1358, the Honsel estate was re-enfeoffed to the Oldendorpe family, administrators of Hovestadt Castle. Between 1358 and 1376, they built Haus Assen as a fortified house: a Westphalian farmhouse with a long hall, a keep (defensive tower) on the southern bailey, and a moat. The keep was later incorporated into the new buildings of 1455 and 1564. The lower part of today's southern round tower dates from this construction period in the 14th century.

The first documented mention of Assen Castle dates back to 1376. Wenemar von Oldendorpe declared Assen House a so-called open house for the Oberstift Münster (District of Münster), so that the Prince-Bishop of Münster could use it as sovereign in times of war. Assen Castle lies north of the Lippe River, which formed the southern border of the Oberstift Münster (District of Münster) since the mid-13th century.

In 1455, the property was divided. Röttger von Kettler received the northern house, Alt-Assen, and his brother Goswin received the southern stone castle, Neu-Assen, with its defensible round tower, which is still preserved today. In 1564, this castle was rebuilt and converted into the present Lippe Renaissance palace by the master builder Laurenz von Brachum. Through marriage, the two houses were reunited in 1598. This line later died out.

In 1653, the Münster bishop, Christoph Bernhard, known as "Kanonen-Bernd," purchased the castle from the von Ketteler family with the help of his brother Heinrich von Galen in order to secure the southern border of Münsterland against the Protestant cities and powers in Hamm, Soest, and Lippstadt. It remained in the possession of the von Galen family for ten generations until the end of the 20th century.

In 1997, Christoph Bernhard von Galen donated the castle to the religious order Servi Jesu et Mariae to establish another spiritual center in Westphalia. Haus Assen now serves as a place of spiritual encounter for young people and families. Public services are held regularly in the neo-Gothic chapel. Public tours and special events, such as the "Festival of the Holy Spirit," are also available. For example, the Münsterland Castle and Palace Day invites you to visit the interiors.