Schloss Heessen, Hamm

Heessen Castle is a castle complex located on the Lippe River in the Hamm district of Heessen and the most notable knight's seat in the area of the present-day city of Hamm. The typical features of a large Westphalian moated castle have been preserved in the architectural complex. Between the moats and the river Lippe, the castle and the buildings of the outer castle are situated opposite each other in an elongated oval. The three-winged main building is built of brick over the remains of centuries-old limestone castle walls and has a tower as its most prominent component, whose two stepped gables rise more than 30 meters into the air. Neo-Gothic stepped gables also close each of the three wings of the castle, spiral staircases and oriels show decorative forms of the Renaissance. Since 1957, the building has housed the Schloss Heessen country school, which since 2018 has borne the name Schloss Heessen - Privates Gymnasium und Internat.