House Pröbsting

The former manor house of Pröbsting is located on the shore of the Pröbstingsee. The origins of this building ensemble go back 800 years. After passing through the outer bailey, the grand staircase of the whitewashed rectangular main building is particularly striking. The east side of the manor house is reflected in the moat.

There have long been ghost stories about this place. They have been told since the time of the robber barons. The unredeemed soul of a white lady is said to haunt the place at night. Today, after a chequered history, the former noble residence is home to a private clinic for psychological medicine.

History information

Haus Pröbsting was first mentioned in 1221 as a probate estate of Vreden Abbey. The medieval core of the manor house was built in the middle of the 14th century and is today considered the oldest secular brick building in the Münsterland. The owners at that time were the Lords of Gemen, who enlarged the moats in the 15th and 16th centuries to better protect the estate. The outer castle with the gatehouse and the corner pavilion dates from the 18th century.

Several changes of ownership followed until Baron Stach von Golzheim moved into Haus Pröbsting in the 1870s after long inheritance disputes. During this time, stories of a "white woman" haunting the house at midnight with her parasol also arose. In 1879, the daughter of the baron was born Ilse von Stach, who later became a poet and described life at Pröbsting in her novel "Haus Elferding". In 1930, the house and parts of the land went to the Merciful Brothers of Montabaur, who set up a nursing home in the manor house.

In 1963, the district of Borken bought the partly dilapidated house in order to restore it. However, the financial means were not sufficient, so that in 1974, after years of vacancy and a lowering of the groundwater level, part of the main house collapsed. In 1986, an entrepreneur bought the complex and had it restored in cooperation with the heritage authorities. Initially, the European Environmental Academy moved into the building. Since 1998, the Schlossklinik Pröbsting, a private clinic for psychotherapeutic-psychiatric indications, has been based here and the house has also been owned by the clinic since 2009.

Tour informationHaus Pröbsting is home to a private clinic. For the protection of the patients, it is not possible to visit the interior. However, it is possible to view the exterior from a distance.