Burg Bourheim, castle

Burg Bourheim is a former moated castle in Jülich whose surviving brick outer ward opens onto a 60.5 × 32.5 metre courtyard. The main house, a two-storey 15th-century building of about 12.5 × 9 metres on a motte-like mound, survives only as a vaulted basement ruin, its rubble masonry encased in brick walls in 1840. The gatehouse of around 1600 has a round-arched portal of light bossed bluestone blocks.

Bourheim was first recorded in 1234 as an unfortified farmstead, later protected by strong walls. In 1288 Heinrich von Bourheim fought for the Archbishop of Cologne at the Battle of Worringen. Through marriage the castle passed to Dietrich von Eys in 1501, then to the von Haften family in 1665 and the Fürstenbergs in 1771. In World War II combat on the Rur front caused considerable damage.

The name Bourheim reflects the origins of this place, which was home to local noble families whose coats of arms still appear above the gate today. The layout around a central courtyard with living and working buildings shows how an entire household once functioned in this space.

The castle is privately owned today and not open for interior tours, but you can view it from the public street outside. There is no restaurant or accommodation on the grounds, so plan your visit accordingly and use local facilities in the surrounding area.

The main house stood on a motte-like hill and measured about 12.5 by 9 metres; its two short sides carried stepped gables. In 1840 the remains of its rubble-stone walls were encased in brick to keep them from collapsing. The former moat around the building is still visible today.