Burg Botzlar

Burg Botzlar stands on a small island in Selm, a town in the Kreis Unna of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the last remnant of a medieval moated castle built by the Lords of Meinhövel. First mentioned in 1282, the castle was later strengthened by the Bishop of Münster to guard against the Counts of the Mark. Twice destroyed in the 14th century, it was rebuilt each time and remained a centre of local power. After passing through several noble families, the castle became a Nazi training school before being bought by a citizens’ foundation in 2013.

The present building is a two-storey stone structure from the early 19th century. Traces of a medieval keep are still visible in its south-west corner. Old maps show a main island and a smaller western island once linked by a wall hedge. Written records from 1587 list a stone house, a hall, cellars, stables, a summer house, bridges, moats and gateways. Two stone houses for knights once stood on the site, one built for Lubbert von Morrien in 1469 and another given to the Krampe family by the bishop in 1300.

Visitors today see the plain stone façade of the main building and the outline of the vanished moats. The former outer island still carries the remains of two rows of buildings. The inner moat, filled in the 1960s, once defended the heart of the castle. The surrounding area is quiet, with only the sturdy walls and a few old maps to recall the castle’s long and turbulent history.