Burg Birgel, Medieval moated castle in Düren, Germany

Burg Birgel is a four-winged complex of rubble-stone buildings enclosed by moats in Düren. The manor house is integrated into the line of the service buildings in the north-east corner, and a two-storey gatehouse stands on the east front.

The von Birgel family is first documented in 1271, when Winnemar Frambach von Birgel served as marshal of the Count of Jülich. The oldest surviving deed for Birgel dates from 24 June 1301, when Count Gerhard of Jülich granted "Haus Birgel" to Johann von Birgel in exchange for the hereditary advocacy of Düren; parts of the north front's substructure may survive from that earliest building. In 1840 the Düren industrialist Leopold Schoeller bought the castle, and his son Alexander Paul had a new brick manor house built and replaced the wooden drawbridge with a stone bridge.

The name Birgel is tied to the von Birgel family, whose members appear as participants in knightly tournaments, including Wolff von Birgel among 420 entrants at Cologne in 1179 under Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. Since 1968 the former castle has housed the primary school, teaching children from Birgel, Kufferath and Berzbuir.

The property now operates as a public elementary school for local students. Access to the grounds is limited since it remains an active educational facility with regular classes throughout the year.

Alexander Paul Schoeller, who took over Burg Birgel in 1885, replaced its wooden drawbridge with a stone bridge and had a new brick manor house built. The old residence was destroyed in World War II, but the stone bridge and the brick house remain parts of the complex.