Landesburg Nienborg
Once upon a time, the high walls of Nienborg Castle in Heek rose ten metres into the air. Behind them: the Burgmannshöfe of Heek-Nienborg. Of the 40 farms that once existed, three still remain today, forming a trio worth seeing in the village of Nienborg in the municipality of Heek: the Lange Haus, the Hohe Haus and the Burgmannshof von Keppel, the so-called Keppelborg. Even though the original castle is no longer there, the overall ensemble of the three Burgmannshöfe has again been titled Landesburg Nienborg since 2022.
An eventful history
Landesburg Nienborg was built in 1198 by Prince-Bishop Hermann II of Katzenelnbogen and destroyed in the Spanish-Dutch War of 1593. Although it was rebuilt around 1600, it fell into disrepair again in the 17th century. Among others, ministerial officials and noblemen, so-called Burgmannen, lived in the Landesburg and had their farms built in the protection of or directly next to the castle wall.
The Lange Haus, an elongated, two-storey gabled house in an eaves position, dates from the 16th century and was subsequently rebuilt several times. The High House is a large, rectangular building made of rubble stone with a slightly trapezoidally displaced ground plan. Parts of the former castle wall are still clearly visible in its façade. The Keppelborg was built as a two-winged building in the course of the old castle wall. The older part of the building consists of a two-storey manor house with a cellar; the younger section was the economic wing. The core of the building dates back to the 15th or 16th century.
