- Parking spaces available
- no entry possible
- Permanently closed
House Füchten
Haus Füchten 1
59469 Ense
Telephone: 02922-7400
Fax: 02922-909443
The Haus Füchten estate is situated on a hill on the eastern slope of the Ruhrtal. Geographically, Füchten is part of the Sauerland, as it lies at the south-western foot of the Haarstrang, the mountain range that forms the natural border between the lowlands of the Soest Börde and the low mountain range of the Sauerland.
Haus Füchten was first mentioned in 1298. The original castle was demolished around 1700 and a castle was built on the hillside. A chapel wing was added to the building in 1726. In 1834, Josef Caspar von Mellin, lord of the manor and heir to Werl, acquired Füchten. Mellin was the founder of the Mellin Foundation. This was established in 1860 after his death and that of his wife Baroness Sophie von Fürstenberg. Mellin left his entire fortune to the private foundation for charitable purposes, which set up an agricultural school on the premises of Füchten House. Poor boys and orphans were given the opportunity to train as farmers and foresters. After a few years, the school had to be closed again in 1903 due to poor transport connections. However, Füchten remained in the possession of the von Mellin Foundation, was leased out and ultimately used as a rehabilitation center for drug-addicted young people. In the mid-1980s, the foundation sold the estate to a private individual. In 1987, the construction of the A445 highway between Wickede (Ruhr) and Neheim-Arnsberg cut through areas of the estate with old trees and moats.
On the Sunday after Corpus Christi, the annual Füchten procession has led from Ense-Bremen to the castle for around 150 years.
The manor house Haus Füchten can be reached on foot, by bike or by car. Parking spaces are available nearby.