Burg Ülpenich

Burg Ülpenich was a medieval water castle near Ülpenich, now a district of Zülpich in North Rhine-Westphalia. It stood on the Rotbach stream west of the village. Traces of the building remained visible until 1817. The first written record names Johannes von Ulpech in 1140, likely owner of the castle. His family belonged to the local nobility and entered the knightly class in 1321. The estate appears repeatedly in documents, including when Dietrich Schinnemann von Aue sold it to Nideggen Stift in 1385.

The castle and village were ruined during the Geldrian Succession War. In 1559 the site was rebuilt a short distance away. Ülpenich itself was also rebuilt after the destruction. The old water-filled moat and earthworks still mark the original location. Archaeologists have found medieval pottery and ironwork on the site. The later manor house stands on higher ground a little to the east.

Visitors today see a quiet field where the first castle once stood. A low rise marks the former moat’s edge. The rebuilt village of Ülpenich surrounds the site with modern houses and a church. A footpath follows the course of the Rotbach past the old defences. The newer manor house, now a farm, overlooks the area from its elevated position. The landscape is flat farmland with scattered woods, typical of the Zülpich Börde.