Wasserschloß Alme

The history of the village of Alme is closely linked to the history of the noble families in Alme. Today, the castle is owned by the von Spee family, headed by Wilhelm Count von Spee. In 1912, Franz Reichsgraf von Spee acquired the Lordship of Alme from the Counts of Bocholtz.

The castle, built in the first half of the 18th century, is a three-winged building complex, with the side wings enclosing an inner courtyard open to the north. The two-storey castle rises above a high basement, the considerable height of which can be seen from the open staircase.

Around 1600, there were two houses on the site of today's Niederalme House, the old and the new Niederalme House, both inhabited by members of the von Meschede family, namely Mordian and Philipp. In the course of regular inheritance disputes, it was now documented that the two houses were separated by a 9-foot (2.83 m) high wall.

It is not possible to visit the castle, but it is possible to view the grounds from the street and Dornröschenweg.

Sleeping Beauty Trail - Wasserschloß Alme - Lambach pump. Part of the Al2 hiking trail leads from the Entenstall along the Mühlengraben to the cozy restaurant "Almer Schlossmühle" from there along the castle wall to the romantic Dornröschenweg along the castle pond with a view of the inner courtyard of the Almer Wasserschloß from the 1st half of the 18th century (a visit is not possible).

Here you can walk along the Sleeping Beauty Trail on a level path. Alternatively, a path winds uphill through mixed woodland to Beerenscheid with wonderful views of Alme and Bleiwäsche.

From here, the trail leads downhill to the starting point of the short hike. For those interested in technology in particular, it is worth taking a look at the Lambach pump industrial monument on the corner of Schloßstraße and Wünnenberger Straße (B480).