Timeless Schellenberg stands before you. Its history whispers secrets from centuries past. Imagine knights patrolling the moats. Picture ladies in flowing gowns.
Schloss Schellenberg in Essen boasts a rich heritage. Records hint at its existence as early as the 12th or 13th century. The influential von Broich family from Mülheim were the early owners. The name changed. It became Haus opm berge. Then through exchanges of ownership the estate passed to the von Horst family.
In 1353 Heinrich von Horst sold the castle. The buyer was Noldo von Kückelsheim. His granddaughter married Pilgrim von Leithen. Their son Dietrich sold it in 1452. The price was 1100 Rhenish Gulden. He sold it to his brother-in-law Johann von Vittinghoff-Schell. This family gave Schloss Schellenberg its present name. The Vittinghoff-Schell family cherished Schellenberg as their home. They lived there until 1909. Then they moved to Schloss Kalbeck in Weeze.
The castle’s construction reflects various eras. A square four-storey residential tower stands firm. A connecting two-storey stone house stands nearby. Both are from the 14th century. They are built of quarry stones. Johann Vittinghoff-Schell and his wife added an extension from 1643 to 1656. A small chapel was attached. These buildings were surrounded by a ring wall.
Melchior von Vittinghoff-Schell transformed Schellenberg into a baroque palace between 1660 and 1672. A new wing with corner towers was added. The stone house was modernised. The chapel gained a storey and a curved hood with a lantern. A smaller wing was added to the residential tower.
Max Friedrich von Vittinghoff-Schell and his wife Countess von Spee Heltorf built a three-storey manor. This was added to the south side of the facility around 1820. The existing moat was filled in. Nine years later the medieval stone house was raised and shared a roof with the residential tower.
Demolition of old parts occurred in 1879. However in 1893 a neo-gothic annex was added. This addition included corner towers on the north side of the residential tower. Finally the neo-gothic gatehouse was created around 1875. This is in the castle romantic style. Internal renovations continued until modern times.
Two expansive farm estates lie east of the palace. The inner farm used the foundations of the 14th-century barbican. A baroque treasury was built from 1643 to 1653. This was a stone and half-timbered structure. In 1672 a washhouse was added. A baking house was added in the first quarter of the 19th century. The outer farm was built later beginning in 1804.
Schloss Schellenberg’s history is interwoven with the lives of its inhabitants and the changes in architecture. The castle’s resilience echoes through the centuries. It continues to captivate visitors with its timeless beauty. The story of Schloss Schellenberg is far from over. The echoes of its past linger. Its future remains unwritten.