The castle Dyck is one of the most important moated castles of the Rhineland. The complex consists of a stronghold and two baileys, which are surrounded by a moat. The castle has a triple ditch system. The manor house, which dates from 1636 to 1663, is accessed via this and an outer and an inner bailey. The four-winged castle, which is delimited by corner towers, surrounds an almost square courtyard. The castle was furnished with old, exquisite furniture and had a handsome collection of hunting weapons. The buildings go back to the state after the destruction in the Thirty Years’ War.
The castle is located northwest of Aldenhoven in the community Jüchen in the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, between Grevenbroich and Mönchengladbach. Not far away is the Nikolaus Cloister located, which belong to the castle.
The park was designed from 1794 under Joseph to Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck (1773-1861) in the style of an English landscape garden (garden architects: notably Thomas Blaikie, but also Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe and Peter Joseph Lenné); the baroque garden from the 18th century was abandoned. The prince himself was a private scholar and author of botanical works, especially the “Hortus Dyckensis”, a documentation of all the plants grown in the park and in the gardens of the park. The castle library, which contains mainly works of botany, was founded by him as well. Since 1999, the castle is managed by a foundation.
[caption id="attachment_231463" align="aligncenter" width="466"] Josephus - Fictional portrait in William Whinston's English translation of 'Antiquitates'[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Titus Flavius Josephus was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for The Jewish War, who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry.
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