Burg Erprath

Burg Erprath is a castle ruin near Weckhoven that was built as a medieval fortress at the confluence of the Gillbach and Erft rivers. The surviving remains show a mound about four meters high with roughly 18 meters in diameter and a southern wall section that still rises about 4.8 meters.

The castle was founded in 1166 and later passed from the Erprath family to the Counts of Virneburg before being sold to Archbishop Friedrich III in 1405. This series of ownership changes reflects the political shifts in the medieval Lower Rhine region.

The residential tower was built using Roman demolition materials, which was common practice in medieval times when builders reused ancient stone and brick. This approach shows how castle lords incorporated traces of earlier civilizations into their new structures.

The site lies about 850 meters west of St. Paulus Church in Weckhoven and is easy to spot at the point where the rivers meet. Visitors should expect uneven ground and bring weather protection, since the ruin sits in open terrain.

Excavations in 1984 uncovered the remains of a wooden bridge and oak palisade fence that connected the main castle to its outer fortification. These archaeological finds show how the site was divided into separate defensive zones.