Schloss Ketteler, Baroque castle in Sassenberg, Germany
Schloss Ketteler is an 18th-century baroque castle in Sassenberg, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The building is made of red brick with stone detailing, has two floors, a mansard roof, and a central projecting section topped by a curved gable bearing the coats of arms of the Ketteler and Korff families.
Construction of the castle began in the mid-18th century under architect Johann Leonhard Mauritz Gröninger, but was interrupted by the Seven Years' War and only completed in 1769. The site itself goes back to a medieval structure, of which old moats and gatehouse remnants can still be seen today.
The Ketteler family was one of the most influential noble families in Westphalia, and the castle still carries their name today. Visitors walking through the garden can spot the original baroque pathways, old trees, and stone sculptures that reflect the tastes of that era.
The castle and its grounds are easy to explore on foot, as the paths around the moat and garden are open and mostly flat. A visit works best in dry weather, when the baroque garden and surrounding ponds are at their most accessible.
Directly across from the castle, about 1,600 feet (500 meters) away, stands one of the largest baroque sculptures in the region: a globe with a figure, placed there in 1729 by Baron Goswin Lübbert von Ketteler. The sculpture is visible from a distance and was not part of the castle building itself but originally marked the approach to the estate.
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