Haus Echthausen, Architectural heritage monument in Wickede, Germany

Haus Echthausen is a moated castle on the country road from Neheim to Wickede, near the south bank of the Ruhr. Its oldest part, the cellar and ground floor of the west section, dates from 1530; the central section was added around 1570–1620, a timber-framed storey followed in the 18th century, and the east wing in 1910. The pale yellow facade with a steep red tiled roof, two dormers and a central triangular gable is seen from the road; the grounds are private.

Haus Echthausen is first documented through a legal dispute between Emperor Conrad II and Werden Abbey. It belonged to the Counts of Arnsberg, then until 1835 to the von Böckenförde genannt Schüngel family, and until 1909 to the von Lilien family. The oldest masonry, the cellar and ground floor of the west section, dates from 1530; the central part was added around 1570–1620, a timber-framed storey in the 18th century, and the east wing in 1910.

The name Echthausen is tied to the old noble seat whose owners changed repeatedly: the counts of Arnsberg, then the von Böckenförde genannt Schüngel family until 1835, the Erbsälzer von Lilien until 1924, and the von Boeselager barons. Since 1991 the Bente family has lived here, so the house is a residence, not a museum.

Haus Echthausen stands directly on the country road from Neheim to Wickede, near the southern bank of the Ruhr. The privately owned grounds and park are not open to visitors, so the building can only be viewed from the road and gate.

The building has retained its original residential function and continues to serve as a private home today. This makes it a rare example of a manor that was not converted into a museum or hotel.