Haus Empel

Haus Empel is a ruined water castle in Empel, a district of Rees in the Kleve district of North Rhine-Westphalia. It stands on a small island in a nature reserve beside the Empeler Meer, an old arm of the Rhine, surrounded by water-filled moats. The remains include parts of the Renaissance-style main castle and a round tower built around 1500. A second round tower with a polygonal helmet crowns the southern edge of the outer ward. The site is privately owned and not open to the public, though it served as a film set in 2007. The castle’s history begins in 1240 when it belonged to Bernard von Rees. By 1256 it was called Gut Emple, and in the 13th and 14th centuries it was expanded into a fortified stronghold. In 1339 a castle chapel was first mentioned, and in 1345 Rütger von Hönnepel secured sole control of the site. Conflicts with the Archbishop of Cologne followed, leading to Empel becoming a Cologne fief in 1347. After repeated sieges and ownership changes, the medieval core was rebuilt in Renaissance style in 1570. Spanish troops burned the outer ward in 1598, and later baroquisation around 1700 gave the forecourt its present layout. Visitors can still see the remains of the three-winged main castle, including the east wing with its 1570 ornamental oriel inscribed with a biblical verse. The outer ward preserves a northern wing from the 18th century and the slender round tower with musket loops in its basement. A central path divides the square forecourt, once a baroque garden, and a curved wall with a gated entrance marks the south-western approach. Two stone pillars bearing the date MDCC (1700) once supported statues of Minerva, while busts of Roman emperors once stood on the wall.