Burg Röthgen

Burg Röthgen stands in Eschweiler, a town in the Regierungsbezirk Köln. It is a low-lying water castle typical of the Lower Rhine region, built mostly in the early 16th century. The site once formed part of Jülich’s defences in the wooded Voreifel. The core of the complex is medieval, with a two-part layout: a three-winged outer ward and a smaller inner castle. The castle’s history is tied to the knights of Engelsdorf, recorded there from the 13th century. In 1514 Wilhelm von der Horst rebuilt the older structure after a fire. Later owners included the Bourscheidt family, who held it for about 250 years until 1950. During the Second World War the buildings suffered heavy damage, especially the south-eastern wing. Visitors enter across a stone bridge into the inner courtyard. The surviving south-eastern wing shows original medieval stonework and a tall corner tower. The north-eastern wing, rebuilt in the 1960s, has two round towers with pointed roofs and small shot holes in its cellar. The outer ward now houses a riding school, while the inner castle remains a private home. Dry moats and brick gateways mark the old defences, and the irregular northern ditch hints at an earlier pond.