Schloss Senden

Schloss Senden stands beside the Stever in the Münsterland, one of many moated castles in the region. The Dortmund-Ems Canal runs less than 250 metres south of the water-filled moat. The estate began in the Middle Ages as the knightly Benekamp holding, later passing through marriage to the Droste zu Kakesbeck family. The Droste zu Senden line produced figures such as Sander II, who built the present manor house in the 15th century with its stepped gable, one of the oldest of its kind in Westphalia. In 1587 Spanish troops burned the house during the Eighty Years’ War. A century later the family added Gut Patzlar and Gut Isingholt by inheritance and Gut Venhaus by purchase. Wartime damage in 1944 and decades of vacancy followed before a rescue began. Visitors now find a slowly restored ensemble of buildings around the moat. The manor house’s roof and façade have been renewed, and the lost top of the south tower rebuilt in steel to match the original. The Romberg wing has been stabilised and the Mannenhaus cleared of rubbish and given a new floor of recycled brick. Plans include opening parts of the castle and opening a café in the Mannenhaus. The grounds and the restored castle also form a stop on cycling routes such as the 100-Schlösser-Route through the Münsterland.