An­holt Castle and Park An­holt

The castle is deemed one of the most beau­ti­ful moated castles in the Mün­ster­land. The main castle has out­stand­ing art col­lec­tions wait­ing to be dis­covered by its vis­it­ors. The out­door area beck­ons to take a stroll through the baroque gar­dens and the sprawl­ing Eng­lish land­scape park.

Burg Anholt is one of the largest and most beautiful moated castles of the Münsterland. In memory of a memorable honeymoon trip, Prince Nikolaus Leopold II. zu Salm had a miniature of the Vierwaldstättersee lake, complete with an alpine-romantic cottage, built in the late 19th century. The massive tower dating to the 12th century continues to characterise the appearance of the former castle.

The family-owned castle has been the home of the Princes of Salm without interruption since 1641. In the late 17th century, the moated castle was converted into a baroque residential palace. Visitors can take a guided tour to gain a view of the representative salons, private rooms, and the building’s millennium-long history. In addition to the internationally renowned collection of Old Masters, among other things including important works by Cranach, Murillo, and Rembrandt, the art collections to be explored also contain porcelain, glass, tapestries, baroque furniture, weapons, coins, and historical books.

Magnificent Garden

Not only the castle, but also the magnificent park and garden facilities with roughly 35 hectares are worth visiting. The landscape park following the English example is a sprawling facility that comprises several beautiful ponds, winding paths and oases of calm. The baroque garden areas include the labyrinth, the “Busquett”, a baroque garden set up strictly geometrically and with elaborate design based on the French example, and a water garden on the castle’s obverse.

The nearby Anholter Schweiz (Anholt Switzerland) wildlife park provides a family-friendly alternative programme to the grand castle park: here, bears and wolves roam throughout their generous outdoor enclosures and native wildlife and birds of prey can be observed in their natural environment.

The trip to the western tip of North Rhine-Westphalia to the area just outside of Isselburg between Münsterland and the Lower Rhine on the Netherlands border is particularly worthwhile during the peak season from mid-March to mid-October. You can even spend the night here feeling like nobility if you wish, as the outer bailey houses a park hotel.