Haus Opherdicke, Castle in Holzwickede, Germany.

Haus Opherdicke is a moated castle and former knight's estate on the crest of the Haar ridge east of Holzwickede's centre, looking south over the Ruhr valley. Its present form dates from a rebuild between 1683 and 1687. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century farm buildings still enclose the inner courtyard, and an English landscape park surrounds the house.

Haus Opherdicke was first mentioned in 1176, when Heinrich von Herreke granted it as a fief to the Archbishop of Cologne. The noble family von Grafschaft held it until 1573; around 1500 it passed to the von Fresendorf family, and in 1719 to the von Hane zu Werve. The old moated castle was rebuilt between 1683 and 1687, giving it its present form. The outbuildings that enclose the courtyard date from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The name Opherdicke comes from the Herreke family, ministerials who took the name of the estate and held it until 1573. Today the former wagon shed at the western edge of the complex houses a Heimatstube, opened in 2002 in the smithy built in 1947, where the blacksmith Ernst Hesse shod horses and repaired wagons until 1990. Tools of other crafts are displayed, and forging demonstrations are still held on special occasions.

Visitors should know that not all areas are easy to access for wheelchair users. It is helpful to ask for guidance upon arrival if you need assistance moving through the buildings.

The old smithy at the western edge of the estate was created in 1947 by converting a carriage shed. From 1947 to 1990 the smith Ernst Hesse ran a hoof and wagon forge there; since 2002 the building has housed the Heimatstube, where tools of other crafts are shown and forging still takes place on special occasions.