Varlar Castle

History of Varlar Castle

Varlar Castle was only used as a castle after the secularization in 1803. Before that, it had been a convent or monastery for many centuries, founded by the Counts of Cappenberg as a Premonstratensian monastery in 1123. It was a religious community of Catholic-regulated canons. However, before the monastery was established, there must have already been a fortress.

Over time, the monastic life became a support institution for the sons of the nobility. A monastery church, which had existed since the year 1030, was rebuilt in 1679. In the 16th and 17th centuries, there were attempts to reform the monastery, which ultimately failed. Destruction and plundering in the years 1591 and 1643 severely affected the institution. Between 1684 and 1709, the individual wings of the complex were rebuilt. In 1803, the monastery was dissolved.
The new owner, the Count of Salm-Grumbach, transformed the monastery into a castle. In the following years, it was inherited further within the noble family. The monastery complex was partially demolished in the 19th century, and the church disappeared in 1821. Further renovations followed in the 19th and 20th centuries. After the war, Varlar Castle was used as an exile by Yugoslav officers. After the officers left, the family of Salm-Horstmar regained the estate. The castle is now used privately and can only be viewed from the outside.

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