Burg Vischering

The Münsterland is flat and wet with no rock to build on, so its castles are Wasserburgen, built on islands in artificial ponds with the water as the defence. Vischering, begun in 1271, is the oldest surviving example in the region and unusual in being roughly circular in plan, a shape intended to deflect projectiles rather than take them square on; an outer bailey with its own moat guards the approach across a bridge. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1521 with Renaissance oriels added to the medieval core. The museum inside covers the region's castles and daily life in them.

Background

Bishop Gerhard von der Mark had the castle built. The Droste zu Vischering family made it their seat; droste was the local term for hereditary noble officials who served the Bishops of Münster. A side-arm of the River Stever keeps the moat filled. The outer courtyard holds the business and farm buildings, while the main house is a horseshoe-shaped structure of three storeys with a heavy outer wall, its inner courtyard closed by the chapel and a lower wall. The keep was taken down during Renaissance renovations. After the 1521 fire the castle was rebuilt on the old foundations. It now houses the Münsterlandmuseum and serves as a cultural centre for Kreis Coesfeld.

Source: Wikipedia, "Vischering Castle"

The main sights

• The round plan - a circular castle shaped to deflect missiles.
• The double moat - an outer bailey and main house on separate islands.
• The Renaissance oriels - projecting windows added after the 1521 fire.
• The museum - displays on Münsterland castles and their households.

When to go

April to October; the castle closes Mondays and reduces hours in winter. A cycle route links several moated castles across the region.

Things to know

Interiors are modest and largely museum display rather than furnished rooms. It closes Mondays. The surrounding area is flat farmland.

Nearby

Nordkirchen lies east; Münster is north.

Key facts