Fresekenhof, Castle in Arnsberg, Germany.
Fresekenhof is a residential castle in Arnsberg built with traditional elements of regional architecture. The building combines practical living spaces with classic features typical of castles in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Fresekenhof was built in the 1360s as a Burgmannenhaus on Neheim's town wall, securing the western town gate alongside the now-lost Schüngelsches Burghaus. In 1377 the Count of Arnsberg enfeoffed Wilhelm Freyseken with the house and land. Swedish-Hessian troops destroyed it in 1633; Ferdinand Lothar von Bönnighausen rebuilt it in 1688 on the old foundations, and it was remodelled in Neoclassical style in 1820.
The building is named after the Burgmann family Freyseken, later called Freseken, who received it from Count Friedrich III on 28 August 1377. Today the town of Arnsberg uses the former kitchen, the Kaminzimmer, for small receptions and civil weddings; its stone floor, old stone washbasin and a gallery of Neheim-Hüsten honorary citizens line two walls. The local marksmen's brotherhood, hunters' association, Heimatbund and the Franz-Stock-Komitee also use the house, and the Vogelschießen of the Schützenfest is held in its courtyard.
The Fresekenhof stands in Neheim, a district of Arnsberg, directly in front of the Bundesautobahn 46, which blocked earlier plans for a hotel or museum use. The Kaminzimmer, the former kitchen of the house, serves the city as a wedding room and for small receptions, so it is not always open to visitors. The Schützenbruderschaft, the Jägerverein, the Heimatbund Neheim-Hüsten and the Franz-Stock-Komitee also use the building.
The building was erected on the town wall in the 1360s, together with the now-vanished Schüngelsches Burghaus to the north, to guard Neheim's western town gate. Remains of the town wall are still visible on the present building, which was rebuilt in 1688 on the old foundations using the surviving vault of its predecessor.
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