Haus Velde
Former knight's estate near Kempen: a Renaissance building on the edge of the Schlootkuhlen nature reserve, its courtyard coat of arms bearing the year 1527.
Haus Velde is a former knight's estate in the Schmalbroich district, about 3 km north of Kempen on the Lower Rhine, and is listed among the town's architectural monuments. Surrounded by tall trees, the Renaissance building stands at the edge of the Schlootkuhlen nature reserve.
At a Glance
- Type
- Former knight's estate, today a privately owned residence
- Location
- Between Voesch (east) and Wall (west), south of the A40 motorway
- First mentioned
- 13th century
- Fabric
- Parts date from the early 16th century
- Distinctive feature
- Courtyard coat of arms bearing the year 1527
- Access
- Only as far as the defensive tower at the entrance; the estate itself cannot be visited
History
Haus Velde once helped secure the Archbishopric of Cologne's border against the Duchy of Guelders. Over the centuries, several knights of the Amt Kempen, which belonged to the Electorate of Cologne, received the estate as a fief to guard this frontier. It later passed to the von Spee family. Kempen Castle likewise attests to the town's role in this Cologne–Lower Rhine border region. In the 20th century, ownership passed to the town of Kempen, which subsequently sold the estate to private investors.
Architecture
The main façade facing the courtyard displays not only the date but also the initials of the owners who once remodeled the manor house; parts of these alterations survive to this day. At the rear of the main house stands the ruin of a staircase that once led to an inner defensive tower. Of the outer fortifications, a large watchtower guarding the entrance drive still remains.
Surroundings
The Schlootkuhlen nature reserve is characterized by marshy woodland and small bodies of water that formed as a result of historical peat extraction.
Today
Since the early 1970s, the private owners have carried out extensive renovations and alterations to both the building and the surrounding land. Haus Velde is permanently inhabited today and remains in private hands.
Gallery
Map
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Address
An Haus Velde
47906 Kempen
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-07
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