🇩🇪 Germany
Castles near Essen
52 castles, fortresses, palaces and ruins within 100 km of the city centre — every one on the interactive map, with photos, distances and directions.
The closest is Schloss Borbeck, 5 km west of the city centre; the most famous is Palace of Aachen — #383 of 3,708 worldwide — 99 km south-west. The oldest dated site in the circle is Schloss Broich, founded 884.
The 100 km circle reaches into 2 countries — Germany (30), Netherlands (22).
Within 25 km of Essen
- Schloss Herten
18 km north-east · Palace & château
Herten Castle is a moated castle situated in the town of Herten in the administrative district of Recklinghausen in the state of North Rhine…
- Schloss Borbeck
5 km west · Castle
Borbeck Castle is a Baroque moated castle in the Essen district of Borbeck. From the 14th century onward it served as the preferred residence of the…
- Bladenhorst Castle
23 km north-east · Castle
Bladenhorst Castle is a moated castle in the suburbs of the city of Castrop-Rauxel.
Day trips: 25–60 km
- Schloss Nordkirchen
48 km north-east · Palace & château
Schloss Nordkirchen is a palace situated in the town of Nordkirchen in the Coesfeld administrative district in the state of North Rhine Westphalia,…
- Burg Castle
36 km south · Castle
Burg Castle, located in Burg an der Wupper, is the largest reconstructed castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and a popular tourist attraction.
- Benrath Palace
34 km south · Palace & château
Schloss Benrath is a Baroque-style maison de plaisance in Benrath, which is now a borough of Düsseldorf.
- Vischering Castle
47 km north-east · Castle
Vischering Castle in Lüdinghausen, North Rhine-Westphalia is the most typical moated castle in the Münster of Germany.
- Schloss Bensberg
55 km south · Palace & château
Bensberg Castle is a former royal hunting lodge in Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- Altena Castle
49 km east · Castle
Altena Castle is a medieval hill castle in the town of Altena in North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Schloss Rheydt
47 km south-west · Palace & château
Schloss Rheydt is a Renaissance palace in Rheydt, Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- Anholt Castle
60 km north-west · Castle
Anholt Castle is a monumental moated castle and former princely seat in the municipality of Isselburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the…
- Schloss Lembeck
33 km north · Castle
Lembeck Castle, located in the urban area of Dorsten on the border of the northern Ruhr region and the southern Münsterland, is a moated castle.
- Schloss Jägerhof
29 km south-west · Palace & château
The Schloss Jägerhof, formerly also called die Vénerie, is located at Jacobistraße 2 in Düsseldorf-Pempelfort, near the city centre.
- Düsseldorfer Schloss
30 km south-west · Castle
The Düsseldorf castle at or in the Düsseldorfer Altstadt existed from 1260 to 1872 or 1896.
- Wesel citadel
35 km north-west · Fortress
The Wesel Citadel is the largest intact fortification system of the Rhineland, built 1688–1722 in Wesel.
+ 1 more in this range — every one is on the interactive map.
Farther afield: 60–100 km
- Palace of Aachen
99 km south-west · Palace & château · #383 worldwide
The Palace of Aachen was a group of buildings with residential, political, and religious purposes chosen by Charlemagne to be the center of power of…
- Schloss Drachenburg
88 km south · Palace & château
Schloss Drachenburg or Drachenburg Castle is a private villa styled as a palace and constructed in the late 19th century.
- Palais Schaumburg
82 km south · Palace & château
Palais Schaumburg is a neoclassical-style building in Bonn, Germany, which served as the primary official seat of the German Federal Chancellery and…
- Schloss Münster
70 km north-east · Palace & château
Schloss Münster, officially Fürstbischöfliches Schloss Münster, is the schloss built as the residence of the prince-bishop of Münster, modern-day…
- Burg Bentheim
95 km north · Castle
Bentheim Castle is an early medieval hill castle in Bad Bentheim, Lower Saxony, Germany.
- Electoral Palace
80 km south · Palace & château
The Electoral Palace in Bonn is the former residential palace of the Prince-Electors of Cologne.
- Kasteel Hoensbroek
97 km south-west · Castle
Hoensbroek Castle or Gebrook Castle is one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. It is situated in Hoensbroek, a town in the province of Limburg.
- Godesburg
86 km south · Ruin
The Godesburg is a castle in Bad Godesberg, a formerly independent part of Bonn, Germany.
- Moyland Castle
63 km north-west · Castle
Moyland Castle is a water castle in Bedburg-Hau in the district of Kleve, one of the most important neo-Gothic buildings in North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Doornenburg Castle
86 km north-west · Castle
The Doornenburg Castle is a Dutch castle from the 13th century. The castle is located in the eastern part of the province of Gelderland, near the…
- Castle Huis Bergh
71 km north-west · Castle
Huis Bergh is a castle in 's-Heerenberg, in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is one of the largest surviving castles in the Netherlands.
- Schwanenburg
71 km north-west · Castle
The Schwanenburg Castle, in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the Dukes of Cleves resided, was founded on a steep hill.
+ 21 more in this range — every one is on the interactive map.
Distances are straight-line from the city centre. City coordinates and population: Wikidata Q2066.
Frequently asked questions
How many castles are near Essen?
The Castlemap atlas maps 52 landmarks (34 castles · 2 fortresses · 11 palaces & châteaux · 5 ruins) within 100 km of the centre of Essen, measured straight-line — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks, not a count of every fortification ever built.
What is the closest castle to Essen?
Schloss Borbeck, a castle 5 km west of the city centre.
What is the most famous castle near Essen?
Palace of Aachen, ranked #383 of 3,708 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking — 99 km south-west from Essen.
What is the oldest castle near Essen?
The oldest dated landmark in the circle is Schloss Broich, founded 884 — 10 km west. Earlier structures may have existed; this is the oldest with a documented founding year.
Nearby city guides: Duisburg (18 km) · Düsseldorf (30 km) · Dortmund (32 km) · Cologne (57 km). See also medieval castles · all rankings · castles by country.