Paffendorf Castle

Paffendorf Castle in Bergheim in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis is today a popular excursion destination. It has been used by RWE Power since 1976 as an information and event center.
After 1516, the property was transferred by Maria Mascherel von Rode, daughter of Winand V. Mascherel von Rode, lord of Wijnandsrade Castle, to her husband Wilhelm von dem Bongart, lord of Bergerhausen Castle. Paffendorf Castle also remained one of the secondary residences of the family for over 400 years. It only became the main residence at the beginning of the 19th century. The last mistress of the house, Marietta Freifrau von dem Bongart, sold the property in 1958 to a predecessor company of RWE Power, when the then open-pit mine Fortuna-Garsdorf reached the boundaries of the castle park. In 1818, the von Bongarts purchased the nearby manor Hof Curmen with all its lands from the last owner, Count von Golstein, and subsequently allowed the manor to fall into disrepair. The estate, which had first been mentioned in 1196 and had long belonged to the family von Harff, consisted of a motte and a bailey with water moats. Today, only a few impressions can still be seen in the terrain next to the Jewish cemetery.

Wikipedia