Haus Saarbrückerwerd

Haus Saarbrückerwerd was an island castle in the Rhine near Kleve, now part of the settlement Schenkenschanz. The island had several medieval names, including Heszehusghewert in the 13th century and Alpenschen wert by 1311. In 1257, Dietrich Luf von Kleve held the island as a fief from Stift Elten. He passed it to his son Dietrich in 1275, and after Dietrich Luf’s brief rule as Count of Saarbrücken, the island became known as Saarbrückerwerd by 1343. The island’s strategic position drew Klever counts to expand its defences. In 1343, rights were pawned to the Klever house, and in 1360 Count Johann of Kleve bought all claims. A meeting with the Duke of Geldern took place there in 1357, and the first written mention of a castle dates from 1364. By 1377 both an upper house and a forecourt were recorded, but the last direct reference to the castle comes from 1381. Martin Schenk von Nideggen built the fortress Schenkenschanz on the site in 1586–87 to control the Rhine’s fork. Parts of the old castle may have been reused in the first works. Between 1611 and 1635, when the fortress was modernised, any remaining traces of Haus Saarbrückerwerd were cleared away. Today the area shows no visible remains of the medieval island stronghold.