Haus Goldschmieding, Manor estate in Castrop-Rauxel, Germany

Haus Goldschmieding is a two-storey, white-plastered brick manor house with a nearly square plan and a round northeast corner tower capped by a concave helmet. Its mansard roof is covered with tiles, and a modern east-side annex now houses a restaurant. The building is roughly half the size of its pre-17th-century form, which extended to the northwest.

Haus Goldschmieding was first recorded in 1275 with the knight Lambert von Gholtsmedinc, as a border stronghold of the archbishopric of Recklinghausen against the Counts of Mark; the house then stood on an island ringed by a moat, with a separate island for the outer bailey. In 1583 Anna Margaretha von Ovelacker married Johann von Schell, and the couple had the old building demolished and replaced between 1583 and 1597. The northwest half and its corner tower were torn down in the 17th century.

The Festsaal keeps its beamed ceiling and a Renaissance fireplace of Baumberger sandstone measuring 3.50 by 4.15 metres, over 80 cm deep. Its lintel carries eight panels of allegorical reliefs with ancient gods and heroes, and the gable shows the coats of arms of the builders Schell and Overlacker, with the year 1597.

The grounds are open to the public and feature numerous modern sculptures scattered throughout the expansive landscape. Plan to spend time exploring both the historic building and the surrounding green spaces where contemporary artworks are displayed.

The steeplechase course Mulvany laid out opposite the manor house was part of his wider promotion of horse racing; he also created a landscape garden on the estate. The racecourse later passed to the city of Castrop along with the house and park in 1968.