Old Forester's Lodge - Castle Darfeld

The water castle Darfeld (mostly referred to as Castle Darfeld, also House Darfeld) is a manor house, former knight's seat, former district seat, and monument in the parish of Netter near the village of Darfeld in the municipality of Rosendahl, Coesfeld district, North Rhine-Westphalia, situated at an elevation of 95 m above sea level.
It was severely damaged by a fire on October 15, 1899, and rebuilt in its current form between 1902 and 1904. From the construction period 1612–1618, the mannerist facade facing the courtyard has been preserved.
The water castle is still privately inhabited today. A visit is not possible.

The castle complex consists of the main castle and an outer bailey. Both are located on islands in a moat that was created by damming the Burloer creek. It is likely that a water mill was built at the dam site simultaneously with the establishment of the complex, and its successor building still stands at the same location today (2012). The main castle is accessed via two bridges along the route through the outer bailey. The location in a moat served both for defense and for establishing an outer bailey, which originally fulfilled the functions of a keep. This concept bears strong resemblance to the layout of the castle Burgsteinfurt, located 17 km to the north. The original fortifications on the islands have nearly completely disappeared due to the construction of representative residential buildings. Only the strong corner tower can be regarded as a remnant of a watchtower.

Outside the moat, there are two economically built structures symmetrically aligned towards the access to the outer bailey. Adjacent to the northern side is a half-timbered house with a barn door, the old forester’s lodge, and the mill. To the south, the castle park develops, transitioning into a forest.

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