Water Castle Egelborg House

The Egelborg House is a listed water castle located at Beikelort 95 in Legden, a municipality in the Borken district of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Originally, the lords of Were, first mentioned in 1090, resided in the castle, which was also called Eghelmaring. The castle was first explicitly mentioned in 1389. In 1400, it passed into the ownership of the lords of Billerbeck. Shortly after 1470, a younger branch of the Billerbeck family, who served as castle men at Nienborg Castle, developed the courtyard Eghelmarinc into a knight’s seat, the Egelborg. In 1662, the Egelborg came to Jobst Caspar von Oer through marriage, whose family still owns it today.
The complex is located about one kilometer west of the center of Legden.

The water castle complex was originally located on two islands; today, the forecourt and the main castle are united and surrounded by two moats.

The oldest still existing building is the north wing, built in 1559 in the style of the Dutch Renaissance. On its east side, the gable was replaced by a hipped roof in the 18th century, while the hipped roof on the west side is likely original. An old west wing was demolished in 1710 and replaced by the existing baroque structure by 1713. A staircase tower that was originally at right angles to the adjacent north wing was newly constructed in octagonal form on the courtyard side of the north wing after the demolition. The newly built west wing was executed in baroque style and features dormers from the 19th century.

The central axis is emphasized by a risalit and a roof rider. An elegantly curved double-flight staircase leads to the portal. The original symmetry was lost due to later expansion with two axes of windows. The existing half-timbered building was erected in 1767. This carriage shed was possibly built from the demolition material of a brick factory; at that time, the reuse of building materials was common. The gate pillars made of brick, each adorned with heraldic lions, date back to the baroque period and display the coats of arms of the von der Recke and von Oer families. The still preserved residential and stable building south of the moat was built in 1832. The entire forecourt was renovated in the style of neo-Gothic in 1866. A partially two-story stable extension was added in 1901. The mill standing north of the castle complex was renewed in 1907 and still regulates the water level of the moats today.

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