Haus Schlickum, Castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Haus Schlickum is a two-story brick manor house built in 1755 to designs by architect Matthieu Soiron, with a main portal bearing the Lohausen coat of arms and sandstone surrounds. Its five-axis facade, round-arched cornice and slate roof hipped on one side survive from that period, and farm buildings with a baroque curved gable and five stone balls form a small courtyard.

The von Schlickum family held the land from around 1328 and initially built a fortified castle there. A fire in the early 1800s destroyed much of the original structure, leading to the construction of the manor house in its present form.

The name Haus Schlickum comes from the von Schlickum family who held the land from medieval times onward. The building with its surrounding water ditches and prominent central section displays how noble families expressed their status and authority in the landscape.

The property is privately owned and not open to the public, so you should contact the owner before planning a visit. The best views of the building and water ditches can be seen from the surrounding paths and public roads.

The five stone balls on the baroque gable of the main house were not only a sign of knightly rank: they told journeymen walking the old Roman road that they would receive a plate of soup and some bread here. The sandstone portal still carries the Lohausen coat of arms.