The Raeren castle

Raeren castle has over the centuries, often changed hands. Usually this was done by inheritance, in some cases also by sale. The known owners are :

Mid-14th century: builder unknown

1426 (): Johann van den Roider Karsilius van den Roideren

1451: Dietrich Krümmel of Nechtersheim

1500: John of Nechtersheim

1518: Gerard of Kaldenbach

1519: Metze of Nechtersheim

1542: Richalt Krümmel of Nechtersheim

1545: Johann Bertolf of Belven

1552: John of Lomont

1563: Kerstgen of Lomont

1583: Philip of Lomont - Johanna Buck of Aachen

1607: John of Lomont

1633: Elizabeth of Vlatten

1670: Johann Melchior von Broich, Katharine Isabelle von Broich - Kaspar Gilles

1721: Gilles Simon, Mathias de flamiger

1758: Mathias Werner de flamiger

1790: Johann von Schwartzenberg

1794: Peter Joseph de Nys - Anna Karoline von der Gracht

1826: Johann Josef Karl August de Nys

1865: Karl Jacob Arnold de Nys

1907: Charles de Nys

1916: Alois Wild

1921: Josef Reul

1960: community of Raeren

Coat of arms of Philip of Lomont and Joan Buck on a Raeren pitcher

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The castle in the 14th century - where Iter and Periolbach merge

Raeren castle was in the middle of the 14th Century built at the confluence of the Iter- and the Periolbach on the site of a smelter for iron. Who has built it is unknown. The castle was a fief of the provost man Chamber of the Aachen Marie cloister. The first known owner of house and home "zen Roideren" in the parish Walhorn was Johan van den Roiderer (1426). At that time, the castle consisted of a residential tower, known as a "dungeon" with an almost quadratical floor plan. Separated by a court, stood a kitchen. The farm buildings were located at its present location. Access to the courtyard was out of the north east. The entire property was surrounded by two moats and several ponds.

Layout of the original plan of the Raeren castle in the 14th century

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The system today - From keep to mansion

Towards the end of the 16th century was the separately standing kitchen destroyed by fire. In 1583 enlarged the former owner, Philip de Lomont the building by almost double. He did make up a part of the moat with debris from the surrounding pottery districts . Then he built an extension to the site of the former kitchen building. The date of this change is engraved on today's front door and a stone in the wall surrounding the moat. In the 18th century, the castle became dilapidated. The former owner, the lawyer Peter Joseph de Nys, built it to the romantic style. He built a dam to give the current access from the "castle road "and a small carriage house. The entrance portal shows since then the coat of arms de Nys. He also built the Gothic-arch windows and the balcony in the north wall of the 1st Floor, and had to increase the north-west tower to its present height. On each floor thus creating a round tower room.

Axonometric view of the castle