Lüdinghausen : Drei Burgen auf einen Streich!

During last Christmas time (2013), WDR Köln aired "Die 40 beliebtesten Schlösser und Burgen in Nordrhein-Westfalen." Awesome!!!  This is where I resorted my list, and decided that my main concentration would be just within just NRW.  One of the beautiful Burg's they reviewed was Burg Vischering.  This immediately bubbled to the top of my list.  It just so happens that the area where this Burg is situated in Lüdinghausen gives way to 2 other Burgs!  This Burg was founded in the 13th Century, and if I got it right it was built due to a feud in the area.  One might say....it was a Burg building competition!

This Wasserburg was surprised me.  It's actually quite smaller than I thought it would be, but is quite beautiful.  The inside of the actual Burg offers some historical information, and artifacts, but not so much.  It does offer a small cafe outside, and a...art gallery! Surprise! That particular day, I found myself on a 2 hour journey through the pieces of Josef Wedewer. He was born in Lüdinghausen, and boy did he put me through such an interesting ride. But his pieces went from pencil/pen sketches of trees...to crazy expressionism - Van Gogh like - it was crazy, but quite interesting.  So interesting fun fact..Wedewer's son actually manages the art museum at..Schloss Morsbroich in Leverkusen!!!  So with that..here are my pictures from my visit (March 2014) to Burg Vischering, and Burg Lüdinghausen (the Volkshochschule/art museum).
Now if you are wondering ...where is the 3rd Burg?  It was Wasserburg Wolfsberg, and the only thing that's left of it is it's building which lies now on a normal street, and blends in with the other houses.  I didnt go to that one! eeep!  But you can!

Burg Vischering Berenbrock 1, 59348 Lüdinghausen, Germany

 

Exploring Lüdinghausen makes for a nice Sunday afternoon.  I give this experience a 9.4/10! 

Definitely another must see!

Schloss Gracht : Disappointed.

Today I decided to make it "Schloss Samstag" instead of "Schloss Sonntag" as I hear that tomorrow it will rain, and today is party cloudy to sunny.  So why not go today, and see how tomorrow goes?  Right? 

Today's pick actually comes from a local newpaper..the Kölner Stadt Anzeige.  It had a listing of top Wasserschlösser to visit in the area..so I thought I would use this as another guide.  I give you...THEIR (not mine) number 12: Schloss Gracht.  My rating comes later...at the very bottom.  I will keep you all in suspense.

Fritz-Erler-Straße 1 50374 Erftstadt, Germany

It is located on the other side of Köln - also near Burg Satzvey towards the Eiffel Region. 

 So if you can imagine, I just fought Kölner traffic (where I believe all of the Netherlands is driving on..probably due to their school holiday starting??)...- and my heart breaks when I turned down the narrow street, and see these......closed doors.

Puh!  Doesn't that last sentence say in the newspaper...Die Burg ist auch öffentlich zugänglich.  I had a bad feeling when I checked out the website as well, but thought to just check it out anyways.  I don't know if you can ever get inside, but it does give an O.K. free Schlosspark to walk around, but other than that...nichts.

I will say though that the Schloss houses the ESMT European School of Management and Technology, so maybe that's why it was closed?  It would be kind of badass to learn there!

 
Anyways, I am not sure, but I did make a small round of the Schloss grounds, and here are those pictures...including the evil duck...you'll see.

Can you see the small drawbridge up??? Nobody visiting today!

Here's a zoomed version....

It is quite pretty, and impressive.

 

What the heck is this!!  A duck?  It was so evil, too!

Well...now for my review...dramatic pause...

..... I give this Wasserschloss a 4/10.  I know shocking!!

My feedback is that - if you are in the area, and only have a short amount of time to see some pretty amazing Schlösser...this would not be one of my recommendations.  It is one of oldest in the Rheinland, and it is quite beautiful, but the website is not very informative, the grounds are not as nicely kept as I have seen in other Schlösser, there are no tours (probably due to it being the school).  It's alright, but you can experience better!!

Wasserschloss Lembeck : Mädels Vorsicht : Hochzeit Traum!

....Need I say more?

Coming back from a nice weekend at the Nordsee, I thought to venture off the A31, and visit...Wasserschloss Lembeck!

Located only around 10 minutes from the A31 you will find this Wassserschloss.

 








 Schloss Lembeck, located in the northern part of NRW, offers visitors a hotel, restaurant, a nice park with a playground for kids as well as a grilling area.  Check their website for special events that go on!  Tickets to visit just the Schlosspark (Gartens) are not that expensive.  Here are some of my pictures of my visit...

 

Schloss 1
46286 Dorsten-Lembeck

Back View of the Schloss

 

 This Schloss goes in my Platz 3. This Wasserschloss is Wunderbar!