Gauangelloch Moated Castle (Wasserburg Gauangelloch)

Architecture, patrimoine et histoire · Landkreis Rhein-Neckar-Kreis

Gauangelloch moated castle, also known as the Bettendorfsches Schloss, stood on the banks of the Angelbach, in this village that is now part of Leimen. First mentioned in 1369, it may have been founded by Hans I von Angelach-Braubach, but this attribution remains uncertain. The estate passed in two parts, in 1450 and 1476, to the barons of Bettendorf, who still own it. Ruined during the Thirty Years' War, the castle was rebuilt from 1665 by Johann Philipp and Helena von Bettendorf, as a dated armorial stone attests. It declined in the 18th century and was largely demolished in 1823. A simple residential building was nevertheless preserved, and in 1824 a castle chapel was built with the salvaged stones. The moat has been filled in, but the Gothic pointed-arch gate survives with its three Bettendorf coats of arms. The residence and the park now house the "Galerie im Schlossgarten", devoted to African sculpture and to temporary exhibitions by African artists.