A Prussian estate converted into an art workshop

Haus Opherdicke rests upon the Haar ridge, a high vantage point overlooking the Ruhr valley. Its current silhouette emerged between 1683 and 1687, when the old moated castle was rebuilt into its present form. The house serves as a former knight's estate and a prominent local landmark in the Holzwickede district of Unna.

In 1176, Heinrich von Herreke of the Dortmund castle granted the property to the Archbishop of Cologne as a fief. After Heinrich's death, the Archbishop granted the property to the lords of Grafschaft. This family owned Haus Opherdicke until 1573, when the property was leased to a ministerial family that took the name Herreke. By the 15th century, the Gruwel und Lappe family became heirs through marriage, and the estate passed to the Kamener Burgmannenfamilie von Fresendorf around 1500.

The estate crossed many thresholds before the modern era. The von Hane zu Werve family purchased it in 1719, followed by Franz Caspar von Lilien in 1792. His grandson bequeathed the property to his niece, Eugenie Gräfin Berghe von Trips, in 1906. Parts of the estate were sold as early as 1912, and by 1918, Theodor Regenbogen purchased the remainder. The house remained a land-capable estate until the end of the Prussian monarchy in 1918.

Surrounding grounds reflect shifting aesthetics. During the 18th and 19th centuries, outbuildings and secondary buildings bordered the courtyard. The castle park was designed in the style of an English garden by Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe.

Today, the District of Unna owns the house, having purchased it in 1980. Extensive renovation and restoration occurred that year, with a second phase of aesthetic enhancement in 2011. No longer a noble seat, the house serves as a vessel for art. It hosts the Frank Brabant collection, while the sheep stable is being converted into an art workshop and museum pedagogy space.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons