Haus Nehlen, Medieval moated château in Welver, Germany

Haus Nehlen is a medieval moated château in Welver located on an island surrounded by water channels. The two-story structure has a rectangular form with a steep gabled roof and represents a typical example of defensive architecture from that period.

Haus Nehlen was first mentioned in a document in 1268 and probably guarded the northern border of the County of Rüdenberg. It was initially the ancestral seat of the noble family von Nehlen; in 1350 the property passed to a branch of the von Plettenberg family. The present building was commissioned by Dietrich von Plettenberg (1550–1634), cathedral provost of Paderborn and Münster, for his nephew Wolter Heinrich von Plettenberg, with the Dortmund stonemason Dietrich Gerlinckhaus as architect. From the end of the 17th century it belonged to the von Boeselager family, who moved their main residence to Schloss Höllinghofen in the 1770s and leased the estate out; in 1977 it passed to a farmer.

The tower entrance is decorated with building ornament and coats of arms, and a stone staircase leads up into the Rittersaal, whose fireplace is a showpiece. The house was built for Wolter Heinrich von Plettenberg by the Dortmund stonemason Dietrich Gerlinckhaus.

The château underwent extensive renovation between 2011 and 2013, including roof work, stone replacement, and window sill restoration. Access to the island and visiting conditions should be checked beforehand since the structure remains privately occupied.

The sculptor Egbert Broerken lives and works in the Renaissance water castle, while a family occupies the left half of the house. Since 1977 the surrounding land has belonged to a farmer who still manages it.