Burg Vinkemühlen

Burg Vinkemühlen once stood in the southern part of Melle’s Gerden district, in the Osnabrück countryside. Built for the Vincke family, it was home to a knight named Dietrich in 1340. By 1360 the family agreed to limit the fortress’s strength under pressure from the Count of Ravensberg. The Bishop of Osnabrück became its overlord in 1426, and the last written mention of the castle dates from 1461. After the 1712 sale to the von Nehem family, the estate passed to the Osnabrück cathedral chapter in 1802 and became a state domain. By 1840 the old castle had disappeared, leaving only the later farm buildings. No visible traces remain today of the once-mighty stronghold. Visitors now find open fields where the moats and walls once lay. The gentle slopes of the Teutoburg Forest rise nearby, and the Melle–Osnabrück cycle path passes close by. A small information board marks the site, recalling the Vincke knights and their vanished fortress.