The Ulenburg near Löhne (Westphalia)
As a monument to unique architecture and with its magnificent park, Ulenburg Castle is one of the most impressive moated castles in Westphalia. Its eventful history is closely linked to that of the neighboring “Herrlichkeit Beck” estate. Documentary evidence shows that in the 12th century it passed to the von Quernheim family as a fief of the Berg monastery near Herford. The property remained in this family for several centuries. Although not mentioned in documents, everything indicates that Ulenburg also belonged to the Beck estate and is at least as old, even if its exact origins remain unclear.
In the 15th century, Beck and Ulenburg were divided between two brothers from Quernheim, although in retrospect, one cannot particularly envy the Ulenburgers for their seemingly comfortable possession. Life does not seem to have been pure joy for him and his descendants, because – as is well known – even back then, people did not get along. In a feud involving Count Bernhard zur Lippe and his brother, Bishop Simon of Paderborn, on one side and Duke Friedrich of Brunswick and Bishop Albert of Minden on the other (1468-1470), the Ulenburg man and two of his brothers had the misfortune of being captured by Count zur Lippe’s men. At the end of the conflict, Bernhard zur Lippe released the Ulenburgers, but with the stipulation that they had to recognize him as their feudal lord. Unfortunately, it cannot be said that the Quernheimers were particularly peaceful. In 1562, the then Ulenburg, Hilmar von Quernheim, attacked the Beck estate of his relatives with a huge contingent of horsemen, mercenaries, and peasants led by numerous peers. He remained there for many years, namely until 1571. When he died childless in March 1581, Count Simon zur Lippe had the idea of confiscating Ulenburg as a reverted fief. This was in line with the customs of the time and would therefore have been a completely natural thing to do. However, the Bishop of Minden was against it (allegedly to secure the rights of the Quernheimers), so that the conditions were ripe for renewed disputes lasting many years.
The immense difficulties involved in restoring reasonably “normal” conditions can be easily deduced from the fact that both parties operated with “imperial mandates” (1581/82). These decrees stated, on the one hand, that Count Simon zur Lippe was to refrain from any use of force and, on the other hand, that the Bishop of Minden was to vacate Ulenburg, which he had occupied. However, this was as far as it went at first. Since the bishop did not comply with the imperial order, first the Duke of Jülich and then the Archbishop of Cologne were commissioned to take action against the bishop until he finally – on November 15, 1593! – surrendered Ulenburg to the Lippe family.
In 1613, Ulenburg fell to Count Philipp zur Lippe, the son of Count Simon, then (in 1627) to Drosten Eberhatd von Wrede, in 1707 to Count Ludwig Ferdinand zur Lippe, and in 1711 to Baroness von Ledebur-Königsbrück, who passed the estate on to her son-in-law von Wulffen. Following his bankruptcy, it was acquired in 1786 by Baron von Münster, who, however, was only able to enjoy his possession until 1791. Together with Beck, which had been owned by the Duke and Princess of Holstein-Sonderburg since 1605 until it was acquired in 1745 by the aforementioned Baroness von Ledebur-Königsbrück, he sold Ulenburg and two other estates to Privy Councilor Franz Christian von Lippe, a native of Rahden, by contract dated March 23, 1791. Ledebur-Königsbrück in 1745, and two other estates, he sold Ulenburg to Privy Councillor Franz Christian von Borries, who came from Rahden, by contract dated 23 March 1791. The latter also owned (in addition to several farms) the knightly estates of Eckendorf, Hovedissen, Schwabedissen, Schockmühlen and Steinlacke. Unfortunately, he had no children. While Steinlacke passed to his nephew, the later district administrator of Herford, Philipp von Borries, by way of inheritance in 1803, his younger brother Franz, the later district administrator of Bielefeld and district president in Minden, took over the other estates, including Ulenburg, in 1807.
It is not surprising that Franz von Borries – also in view of his diverse and varied professional duties in government service and the special circumstances of the time (additional burdens in connection with the wars of liberation, the abolition of fundamental rights in favor of farmers and tenants, etc.) – regarded his extensive land holdings as more of a burden than a privilege. Even before he took up his high office as district president in Minden in 1847, he endeavored to rid himself of at least part of the inherited estates. After fruitless negotiations with various interested parties, including King Ernst August of Hanover, he succeeded in 1846 in selling Ulenburg and Beck to Prince Handjery of Silesia, Imperial Russian Privy Councilor, at a favorable price. However, this interregnum lasted only a short time, because in 1865, Georg v. Borries, son of the aforementioned Philipp v. Borries and – like his father – also district administrator of the Herford district, bought Ulenburg and Beck back from Prince Handjery. By way of succession, both estates then passed to his younger son Georg, who – like his father and grandfather before him – also served as district administrator of the Herford district, was police president of Berlin from 1903 to 1908, and subsequently district president in Magdeburg and Minden. Beck was acquired by the Dr. Blomeyer family and still belongs to them today.
The strange fact that its owner died childless again was decisive for the further fate of Ulenburg. Georg v. Borries died in 1922, his widow Martha, née v. Kryger, in February 1944. In 1927, she sold Ulenburg to the Westphalian Protestant therapeutic education, sanatorium, and nursing home Wittekindshof near Bad Oeynhausen. From today’s perspective, this decision can be described without reservation as wise and forward-looking. Apart from the fact that the property was thus dedicated to an exemplary work of Christian charity and thus put to a use that could hardly be more ideal in today’s world, the measure also had the culturally and historically significant side effect of ensuring the best possible care of the castle and park in the long term. The castle was recently completely restored with the decisive involvement of the state conservator. In the design of the interior, the special needs of the institution on the one hand and the historical aspects on the other were taken into account as far as possible. This was particularly beneficial to the Knights’ Hall, which now shines again in its former glory and is probably even more beautiful than ever before. Particular care was taken with the exterior appearance of the castle, with the utmost attention being paid to the conservation of the historical features. There were a few challenges and complications to deal with, like the roofing, the redesign of the tower, and putting the spire back on, which was only possible thanks to the personal initiative of the head doctor, Dr. Sasse, using a helicopter and some serious “circus acrobatics.” As for the maintenance of the magnificent park, each of the castle residents who are suited to such work has their own specific tasks, which they perform in an exemplary manner, because no one wants to be accused of having been negligent in their work. It is therefore no wonder that this gem of Westphalian architecture, restored to its former glory, is a popular destination and a first-class attraction for the local population. Not to be forgotten is the unique “Ulenburger Allee,” on which one has the privilege and pleasure of approaching the castle coming from Löhne (even if this is admittedly impaired by the fact that the road has recently been upgraded to allow cars to drive on it).
Article from the Deutsches Adelsblatt newspaper dated June 15, 1977
