Heltorf Castle (Schloss Heltorf)

Heltorf Castle is located on the outskirts of Düsseldorf, in the Angermund district, which is the northern part of the capital. The castle borders on Duisburg, more precisely on its Ram district. It is an extremely picturesque place, located on the right bank of the Rhine, which at one time made it possible to create a deep moat around the castle.
Since the 12th century. this place was intended for agricultural and forestry lands. To control the workers employed on the plantations, a fortress was erected here on lands that have been from the 11th century. property of the monastery of St. Svitbert, Kaiservert.
In 1189 we find the first official text about Heltorf. The evidence was a bill of lading on the estate. In it, the vassal Arnold von Teferen pledged the fortress to Engelbert von Berg, who had the title of count. The price of the collateral was 100 marks. Here it was about other property - the estate of Otto von Heldorp. The next document mentioning Heltorf is the act granting property rights to the fortress of Düsseldorf. It dates back to 1288, and the person who confirmed the authenticity of this transaction was Zobodonus de Heldorp.
The next time Heltorf (in 1360) is mentioned in an act testifying to the sale of the fortress to Thomas von Lohausen, later von Troisdorf. Thomas changed his surname to be called the same as the family estate. The estate will remain in the ownership of this dynasty for six generations. This succession ended in 1569 with the transfer of the fortress as a gift in honour of marriage by Maria von Troisdorf. Transferred to Heltorf Wilhelm von Scheid-Weschpfenning. Further, the fortress became the property of the von Speev dynasty. This happened when Maria, the granddaughter of Wilhelm, married Friedrich Christian von Spey, who bore the title of count, as a result of the death of her mother and father (1662). Since then and to the present day, Heltorf has been the property of this dynasty.
In 1796, thanks to the architectural talent of Maximilian Friedrich Vaye, a 54-hectare park was built on the estate by English traditions.
At one time, the building for the gentlemen was destroyed, and only at the beginning of the 19th century. it was rebuilt from scratch in the best traditions of classicism. In Heltorf there are several of the most valuable works made with watercolours on raw plaster, in particular the work of K. Sturmer "The Reconciliation of Frederick and the Pope in Venice" (1826). Also in this place are collected works of K. Mücke and other masterpieces. They all found their shelter within the walls of the fortress in the great garden pavilion. In addition, Heltorf is famous for its rich collection of old books. For them, in 1862 a pseudo-Gothic tower was built for the library. The architectural design of the building was carried out by Finkenz Statz, the designer of the famous Cologne Cathedral.
There is no open access for sightseeing in Heltorf. However, you can visit its famous park, which welcomes guests from May 1 to October 31 on weekends and holidays from 10 am to 6 pm.

How to get to Castle Heltorf
Metro Froschenteich - U79