Haus Rodenberg, Water castle in Aplerbeck, Dortmund, Germany.
Haus Rodenberg is a water castle in Aplerbeck featuring an outer building complex surrounded by moats, formal gardens, and ponds. The layout follows the traditional design of a noble estate, with water features integrated throughout the property to create distinct zones.
The castle was first documented in 1290 and remained a private family estate for centuries. Between 1688 and 1698, Johann Dietrich Voß von Rodenberg commissioned major renovations that transformed it into a baroque water palace, the form it retains today.
The mansion now hosts adult education classes through the local college, bringing regular activity to its rooms and grounds. A restaurant inside welcomes visitors and locals for meals, making the site a living community space rather than just a historical relic.
The estate sits within public parkland in central Aplerbeck and is accessible for exploration from the outside. Visitors should note that portions of the building host classes and events, so access to some areas may be limited or require planning ahead.
The property features a distinctive squared garden section called the 'Wasserparterre', enclosed by landscape walls and surrounded by its own moat system. This geometric design represents a specific choice of baroque garden art that sets this estate apart from other castles of its kind.
Location: Dortmund
GPS coordinates: 51.49280,7.55417
Latest update: December 6, 2025 17:42
Dortmund combines industrial heritage with contemporary cultural offerings across its different districts. The city features a variety of sites, from Signal Iduna Park, Germany's largest football stadium with 81,365 seats where Borussia Dortmund has played since 1974, to the German Football Museum, which traces the history of the sport on 7,000 square meters of interactive exhibits. Green spaces are significant, including Westfalenpark, a 70-hectare park home to the 209-meter-high Florianturm and extensive rose gardens, and Dortmund Zoo, where 1,500 animals from 230 species, mainly from South America, reside across 28 hectares. Cultural institutions reflect Dortmund's mining past and its artistic scene. Zeche Zollern, a former coal mine from 1898, displays its original machinery hall and documents the industrial era of the Ruhr. The Museum of Art and Cultural History hosts collections from the Middle Ages to today within its 1924 Art Deco building. The Dortmund Concert Hall hosts classical and jazz concerts in its 1,550-seat auditorium. Lake Phoenix exemplifies urban redevelopment: this former steelworks site transformed in 2010 offers 3.2 kilometers of pathways along the water. Mengede Castle, a 13th-century fortress surrounded by moats, illustrates medieval architecture in Westphalia.
Hörder Burg
3.5 km
PACE Automobilmuseum
4.2 km
Große Kirche Aplerbeck
414 m
Emscherquellhof
4 km
Westfalentower
4.1 km
Rennbahn Dortmund
3 km
Christoph Dortmund
4 km
Haus Sölde
2.7 km
Schwerter Wald
3.1 km
Freischütz
3.2 km
St. Georg, Aplerbeck
519 m
Fernmeldeturm Schwerte
3.5 km
St. Clara
3.5 km
Steinbruch Schüren
1.3 km
Aplerbecker Wald
2 km
St. Ewaldi (Aplerbeck)
272 m
Amtshaus Aplerbeck
132 m
Haus Heithoff
1.2 km
St. Johannes der Täufer
3.5 km
Synagoge Hörde
3.7 km
St. Martin, Dortmund
3.2 km
Kreuzkirche
2.4 km
Feldchenbahnbrücke
454 m
Alter Jüdischer Friedhof Dortmund-Aplerbeck
832 m
Sparkasse Aplerbeck
279 m
Ewaldipark
339 m
LSG-Schwerter Wald
3.1 km
Landschaftsschutzgebiet Schürener Feld
1.6 kmReviews
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