The town of Anholt, now part of Isselburg in North Rhine-Westphalia, gets its name from Anholt Castle, a massive moated castle situated on the border of Lower Rhine. In Germany, it is known as Waserburg Anholt and is one of the largest in the Münsterland region. Its origins can be traced back to a 12th-century moated fortification built to protect the property of the Utrecht Bishopric.
Anholt Castle, located in the district of Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia, is positioned near the Netherlands border and approximately 10 km west of Bocholt, along the river Issel. It is now privately owned and remains one of the few large privately owned castles in the region.
Although we were only able to capture pictures of the castle’s exterior and visit the hotel. In wonderful weather and sitting by the water on the hotel terrace was a real pleasure before going to the next castle. The hotel staff is known for their friendly and professional service.
In 1169 a lord of Zuylen “en Anholt” is mentioned for the first time as a vassal of the Utrecht bishop Gottfried von Rhenen, which is why historians today assume that the Anholt moated castle was built before that year to protect the extensive bishopric territories. However, it is historically documented that at the latest under Stephen IV of Zuylen (around 1347), who released the residents of Anholt from their serfdom by the privilege of May 25, 1347, the feudal relationship with the Bishopric of Utrecht came to an end and at that time the castle together with it the surrounding village was already an imperial glory, which later became part of the Lower Rhine-Westphalian imperial circle belonged.
When the Anholt branch of the Lords of Zuylen died out in the male line in 1380, the castle and glory fell to Herberga, a daughter of Dietrich II von Zuylen, whose husband Hermann III. by Gems. However, since this couple was also not destined to have a male heir, Anholt came to the family of her husband Gysbert von Bronkhorst-Batenburg in 1402 through the marriage of Margaretha von Gemen. In 1431, Emperor Sigismund confirmed the Bronkhorst-Batenburgs’ direct imperial rights to their glory.
During the Geldern feud, Gysbert’s son, Jakob I, sided with the Roman-German king and later Emperor Maximilian I and fought together with Johann II, Duke of Kleve, against the Geldern Duke Karl von Egmond. As a result, in 1499 Duke Karl tried unsuccessfully to take Anholt Castle by surprise. However, another attempt by Duke Karl in 1512 was successful. Weakened by a previous plague epidemic, the castle had to open its gates to its enemies after a three-month siege.
The castle complex remained in Geldern ‘s possession for 25 years. Although Jakob’s successor, his cousin Dietrich III. von Bronkhorst-Batenburg, who had had his direct imperial rights as Lord von Anholt confirmed in 1531, only succeeded in getting the castle back through a contract in 1537. In exchange for the release of the castle and glory, the Gelderian duke demanded large contributions. In addition, the castle, town, and country had to be kept open to the dukes, but just three years later Emperor Charles V relieved the Lords of Anholt of these obligations. However, the supporters of the Union of Utrecht gave up on this fact during the Eighty Years’ War received no attention, and demanded from Dietrich, citing the treaty of 1537, that Anholt join the alliance against Spain. The refusal of the Catholic Dietrich was followed by the siege of the city by the Geuses. Dietrich wished to negotiate to protect the poorly fortified city, and to that end opened the city gates after the members of the Union pledged not to use any force. However, just moments after passing through the city gates, they broke their promises. They plundered Anholt and set fires in many places. The looters only fled when Duke Wilhelm V of Kleve sent troops to help. A similar fate befell the castle in the Thirty Years’ War, again it was hit by looting and burning.
Dietrich IV, Count of Bronckhorst-Batenburg-Anholt (1578–1649), died as the last male member of the family had been raised and became a member of the Lower Rhine-Westphalian Imperial Counts College. As early as 1647 he had transferred the County of Anholt to the husband of his daughter Maria-Anna, Count Leopold Philipp Karl zu Salm, Wildgraf, and Rheingraf. Since then, the Anholt castle and estate have belonged to the Salm-Salm family to this day. 1743 became his descendants. Nikolaus Leopold was granted the hereditary title of Imperial Prince by the Emperor.
In 1802 the rule of Anholt was combined with the offices of Bocholt and Ahaus of the abolished Prince-Bishopric of Münster to form the Principality of Salm. In 1810 the Principality of Salm fell to France. In the course of the Congress of Vienna, the sovereignty of the Principality of Salm was not restored, but the areas were added to Prussia. Anholt Castle remained the residence of the princes.
Johann Jakob von Bronckhorst-Batenburg (1582 – 1630) named Graf Anholt, was Count of Bronckhorst-Batenburg and Imperial field marshal during the Thirty Years’ War.
General Alexander von Velen was one of his soldiers.
1169 a lord of Zuylen "en Anholt" is mentioned for the first time as a vassal of the Utrecht bishop, so today historians assume that the Anholt moated castle was built before that year to protect the extensive bishopric territories.
Stephen IV of Zuylen, with a privilege from 1347, freed the inhabitants of Anholt from serfdom, the feudal relationship with the diocese of Utrecht came to an end, and at that time the castle with the surrounding landscape was already an imperial glory.
In 1380 male line of the Anholt branch of the Lords of Zuylen died out. So castle and glory fell to Herberga, a daughter of Dietrich II von Zuylen, whose husband was Hermann III. by gems. Unfortunately, also they didn´t have a male heir.
Gysbert von Bronkhorst -Batenburg was a new owner of Anholt castle through his marriage with Margaretha von Gemen. In 1431, Emperor Sigismund confirmed the Bronkhorst-Batenburgs' direct imperial rights to their glory.
After an unsuccessful attempt to conquer the castle, Duke Karl von Egmond of Gelderland managed to conquer it in 1512. For the next 25 years, the castle remained in the Geldern´s possession.
Dietrich III. von Bronkhorst-Batenburg, who had had his direct imperial rights as Lord von Anholt confirmed in 1531, only succeeded in getting the castle back through a contract in 1537.
The last male heir, Dietrich IV, Count of Bronckhorst-Batenburg-Anholt, passed away. He gave Count Leopold Philipp Karl zu Salm, Wildgraf, and Rheingraf, the spouse of his daughter Maria-Anna, the County of Anholt in 1647.
Since 1647 until the present day, the Salm-Salm family has maintained ownership of Anholt Castle.
LEFT: Maria Anna von Bronckhorst-Batenburg (1624 – 1661) At the age of 17, she married Leopold Philipp Carl zu Salm.
RIGHT: Leopold Philipp Carl zu Salm (1620 – 1663) Count Leopold Philipp Karl zu Salm, Wildgraf, and Rheingraf, was the 1st owner of Anholt Castle from the Salm-Salm family line. From 1659 he was field marshal and commander-in-chief of the troops of the Confederation of the Rhine.
Leopold Philipp Carl zu Salm, the first owner of the castle from the Salm-Salm family line, is buried in the church of St. Pancratius in Isselburg near Anholt.
LEFT: Coat of arms of the princes of Salm-Salm. A German noble family which forms one of the numerous lines of the Counts and later Princes of Salm. The Principality of Salm was a state in the extreme west of Westphalia from 1802 to 1811 and Salm – Salm is a one-line.
RIGHT: Konstantin zu Salm-Salm (1762 – 1828) was one of the two sovereign princes in the Principality of Salm. After the death of his father, Prince Konstantine zu Salm-Salm inherited the castle of Anholt.
The Parkhotel, a culinary establishment with a large outdoor patio and views of the lovely park, is located in the outer bailey.
Among other works of art, the castle museum houses the largest and oldest private art collection in North Rhine-Westphalia, boasting nearly 700 paintings.
Create your dream wedding at the Parkhotel Anholt. It is possible to make an appointment and discuss the wedding location and related services.
Anholt Castle also serves as a film set, among other things, the eleven-part ZDF family series Rivalen der Rennbahn was filmed here in 1989, and the fairytale film Cinderella for the ARD series Six at One Prank in 2011.
With almost 700 paintings, the collection on exhibit is North Rhine-Westphalia’s biggest and oldest private picture collection.
The main castle was opened to the public in 1966. The rooms and the art collections give visitors an insight into social life and courtly culture over several centuries. Among other things, you can visit the largest private collection of paintings in North Rhine-Westphalia with numerous works by well-known Dutch masters such as Rembrandt (for example The Bath of Diana with Actaeon and Callisto ), Jan van Goyen, Gerard ter Borch (portrait of Gesina ter Borch as a shepherdess) and Lucas Cranach the Elder, evidence of stately home decor, the armory and an extensive porcelain collection.
The main castle shows original interior furnishings and exhibits from the 17th to 19th centuries. Noteworthy is, for example, more than 400-year-old wooden floors and a self-supporting staircase from the 17th century. Many exhibits from the collections were moved to a tunnel during the Second World War and are therefore still preserved today.
The castle library is also open to visitors. It consists of a 230 m² hall in classicist style and was completed in 1860. The holdings include the dissolved library of the Cistercian monastery in Groß-Burlo, the library of the Counts of Bronckhorst-Batenburg from the period between 1400 and 1650, and the library of the princes of Salm-Salm with documents from 1650 to the present day.
Nikolaus Leopold zu Salm-Salm (1701 – 1770) gained acceptance into the imperial princely rank (imperial prince was a nobleman in the Holy Roman Empire, a prince who originally received his fief only and directly from the king or emperor).
An interesting fact is that the prince had 18 children and after the death of his first wife, he married her sister.
Less than 30 km from Anholt Castle, there is a beautiful castle surrounded by flowers – Moyland Castle. In the gardens of the castle, there are more than 500 different varieties of hydrangeas and they form the largest collection of hydrangeas in Germany. Castle building is now primarily a museum devoted to exhibiting the world’s largest collection of work by artist Joseph Beuys. It is a very popular destination on the Lower Rhine.
There are many (about 50) different native animal species living in this wildlife area. The park is home to several bird species, and the most notable residents are wolves, foxes, lynxes, reindeer, and bison.
