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When you hear about the "Westphalian Versailles" for the first time, you are still inclined to smile mildly. However, when you stand in front of the baroque palace complex for the first time, some 25 kilometers from Münster, your doubts are likely to dissolve into admiration ...

The first question that comes to mind is as banal as it is justified: Who the hell could have afforded this magnificent building? The moated castle in the southern Münsterland region of the municipality of Nordkirchen is ... well ... big. Very big. Not to say: The dimensions of this representative baroque residence are enormous.

UNESCO Gesamtkunstwerk of international standing: Nordkirchen Castle

When you hear that the castle took 30 years (!) to build and that the unique building and its park have been declared a "total work of art of international standing" by UNESCO, you really want to know: Did the French Sun King possibly also visit Münsterland? Not at all. It was Prince-Bishop Ferdinand von Plettenberg who wanted to fulfill his dream of an appropriate dwelling. His palace was completed in 1734, and the gardens were immediately among the most famous gardens in all of Europe. But as is the way with ambitious plans, Ferdinand died three years later - heavily in debt, as was to be expected.

The guests of the impressive building in Münsterland, however, still appreciate the ambitions of the lord of the castle: The castle tours are a feast for the eyes and are sometimes presented in costume. You can find even more about castles and palaces in North Rhine-Westphalia here.

By the way, you can find tips on how to travel comfortably and inexpensively on long-distance and local trains with Deutsche Bahn here.

More articles from North Rhine-Westphalia

In collaboration with Tourism NRW e.V.

Reasons for a Vacation in North Rhine-Westphalia there are plenty - the living Cities, the old Castles and palaces and the unique Nature are just a few of them.

 

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