Gimborn Castle (german: Schloss Gimborn) is a former

moated castle A water castle is a castle whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle ...

situated in a remote valley of the upper Leppe in the municipality of

Marienheide Marienheide is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Marienheide is located about 50 km east of Cologne. Neighbouring places The neighbouring towns are Gummersbach and Wipperfürth as well ...

in the

Oberbergischer Kreis The Oberbergischer Kreis ( ksh, Boverbärjische Kreiß) is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Ennepe-Ruhr, Märkischer Kreis, Olpe, Altenkirchen, Rhein-Sieg, Rheinisch-Bergischer Krei ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

History

Gimborn Castle is a castle in the Gimborn district of the municipality of

in the state of

. Districts neighbouring on Gimborn are Boinghausen in the north, Jedinghausen in the east, Erlinghagen in the south, and Unterlichtinghagen in the west. This former

water castle A water castle is a castle whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle st ...

lies in the upper

Leppe Leppe is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Agger in Engelskirchen. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia *List of rivers in Germany This article lists rivers which are (at least partially) located in Ge ...

valley. It was pledged in 1273 from the county of Berg to the county of Mark, and became the

Residenz Residenz () is a German word for "place of living", now obsolete except in the formal sense of an official residence. A related term, Residenzstadt, denotes a city where a sovereign ruler resided, therefore carrying a similar meaning as the modern ...

in the county of Gimborn Neustadt of the

House of Schwarzenberg The House of Schwarzenberg is a German ( Franconian) and Czech ( Bohemian) aristocratic family, and it was one of the most prominent European noble houses. The Schwarzenbergs are members of the German nobility and Czech nobility and they held the ...

in 1631. Since 1874 the castle has belonged to the Barons von Fürstenberg zu Gimborn. Since 1969 the Castle has served as a conference site and meeting place for the

International Police Association The International Police Association (IPA) is a Non-Governmental Organization for members of the police force, whether in employment or retired. By 2021, there were more than 360,000 members in nearly 100 countries, of which 65 are affiliated ...

. Once a year, the Castle opens its gates to the

Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on their shooting ...

of the Gimborn Saint Sebastianus

Schützenverein A Schützenverein (German for "marksmen's club") is a local voluntary association found in German-speaking countries revolving around shooting as a sport, often target shooting to Olympic rules or with historic weapons. Although originating as a ...

Pictures

File:Schloss Gimborn und Kirche 2010 SteDi2.jpg, Castle and church File:Schloss Gimborn 2010 SteDi3.jpg, Castle File:Schloss-gim.jpg, Park File:Kirche-gimb.jpg, The church located above the Castle

External links

History of the village of Gimborn and the Castle

St. Sebastianus-shooting club Gimborn um 1610 e.V.
{{Authority control Water castles in North Rhine-Westphalia Buildings and structures in Oberbergischer Kreis