Anholt Castle

Anholt Castle (German: Wasserburg Anholt or German: Schloss Anholt) is a monumental moated castle and former princely seat in the municipality of Isselburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the Dutch border where the Münsterland meets the Lower Rhine region. First documented in the late 12th century as a strategic stronghold of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, it developed into the imperially immediate Lordship of Anholt during the Middle Ages and, from 1647, the hereditary residence of the princely House of Salm-Salm. Dominated by its massive round Dicke Turm keep and encircled by a broad water defence fed by the river Issel, the complex is regarded as one of the largest and best preserved water castles in western Germany. Architecturally, the present ensemble blends medieval foundations with a baroque remodelling carried out around 1700, when Prince Charles Theodore of Salm transformed the medieval fortress into a stately home, added formal gardens and unified the façades under slate roofs. Although 70 percent destroyed in 1945, Schloss Anholt was meticulously restored and now serves a triple role as private residence, museum and leisure destination. Visitors can tour richly furnished state rooms, view the state’s largest privately owned art collection (including works by Rembrandt, Jan van Goyen, and Gerard ter Borch), stroll through reconstructed baroque and English landscape gardens, and enjoy amenities such as a hotel restaurant, wildlife park and golf course—all of which make the castle a cultural landmark and economic hub for the region.