Hamm Castle

on a mountain spur high above the small village of Hamm, this late medieval fortification is embedded in a lovely rural setting and offers a wonderful, unobstructed view of the Eifel landscape. A gravel road leads from the village up to the fortified entrance of Hamm Castle and continues on into a spacious inner courtyard. Overall, the impressive ensemble exudes an enchanted, or rather haunted ambience and has an undeniable morbid charm to it. Bearing a certain resemblance to a sprawling Scottish manor home, Hamm Castle is an ideal motif for projects which call for a historical backdrop. On the slightly sloping terrain, which is part grassland, part gravel/paved, harmonically arranged service buildings are grouped around the courtyard in a horseshoe shape. A masonry construction, the ensemble is surrounded by towering defensive walls. Across from the imposing main building, a guardhouse leads to the forest which lies behind the castle complex. The castle is flanked by towers, which have a protected walkway that gives access to the battlements and shooting slots in the parapet. A long stone staircase leads up to one of the towers which has an entrance into the castle. High up inside the tower walls, narrow crown glass windows have been arranged in an offset pattern. A chapel and a pillar hall which is frequently being used to celebrate festivities, such as wedding ceremonies for example, are also part of the ensemble. Adjoining to the pillar hall, which comes with a separate entrance, sanitary facilities and a kitchen, there is a terrace. Hamm Castle houses privately used apartments which belong to the Countess von Westerholt. A permit for filming these private accommodations must be requested beforehand. In one of the former stable buildings, two spacious holiday flats can be rented for short vacations.