Haus Woord, Bocholt

Haus Woord in Bocholt was built between 1792 and 1795 in the neoclassical style by Amtsrentmeister Joseph von Raesfeld, whose descendant Bernhard von Raesfeld sold it to Bocholt textile manufacturer Ludwig Schwartz in 1827. In 1830 Schwartz also acquired the land belonging to Haus Woord and built steam-powered spinning and weaving mills there.

In front of the manor house stood four statues by the Münster sculptor Johann Mauritz Gröninger, grandson of the architect and sculptor Gerhard Gröninger, representing the gods Diana, Aurora, Apollo and Mercury. They were made around 1700 for the castle garden of Ahaus and were returned there by purchase in 1986. Since then, copies of the statues have been placed in front of Woord House.

Today, only a small square in front of Haus Woord remains of the entire area. The former company premises of the Schwartz family are home to stores, residential buildings and the Christuskirche church. The Schwartzstraße, which runs between the Woord house and the church, is a reminder of the company's history. The remises of the manor house are currently used as stores.

During the Second World War, the house was destroyed except for the outer walls and was rebuilt in the original style in the years until 1949. It is listed as a historical monument. Today it houses private apartments and a law office.

Some of the almost hundred-year-old horse chestnuts, which form an axis between the manor house and the coach houses on both sides, are infested with leaf miners and have been replaced by silver lime trees since 2007. At the same time, the foundations of the coach houses are to be restored. The redesign of the inner courtyard is being carried out by the Schwartz family in coordination with the Westphalian Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments in Münster, the Lower Monument Authority in Bocholt and the Parks Department of the City of Bocholt.