Gut Dückeburg is a three-sided courtyard complex with its current buildings in the 19th century. It was built in place of a predecessor, a presumably medieval moated castle.
The Niederungsburg Dückeburg originally consisted of an outer bailey and a manor house, which were surrounded by a water fountain and an additional wall (Schmidt 1922, p. 112). It is unclear when it was built.
The castle was first mentioned in writing in 1444 as "Duckenburg" owned by the Lords of Zobbe and Sleberg. This was followed in 1466 by the Lords of Etzbach and 200 years later by the Lords of Spies von Büllesheim (Müller 1992, p. 98). The Lords of Spies were succeeded by the Count of Mirbach zu Harff as owners in the 19th century.
In 1795, during the French occupation, the castle burned down to its foundations (Müller 1992, p. 98). The courtyard was rebuilt according to old plans on the foundations that had been preserved: a two-storey main house with a half-hipped roof, green window shutters and an outside staircase is framed by adjoining farm buildings made of quarry stone (Clemen, 1894, p. 281). The resulting courtyard is closed off by a wall with a gate.
In 2004, an entrepreneur from Langenfeld renovated the courtyard and has lived in the building ever since.
The object "Wasserburg Dückeburg" is a registered monument (LVR office for monument preservation in the Rhineland, database no. 67165 / monument list of the city of Langenfeld, serial number B 007) and a registered archaeological monument (LVR office for monument preservation in the Rhineland, database -No. ME 063 / list of monuments of the city of Langenfeld, consecutive No. Bo 005).
(Silke Junick / Biological Station Haus Bürgel - City of Düsseldorf - District of Mettmann e.V., 2019)
Internet
uvl-langenfeld.de: Gut Dückeburg (retrieved on November 20, 2019)
de.wikipedia.org: Dückeburg (retrieved on November 20, 2019)