Asten Castle

The ruins of Asten Castle are almost completely covered with ivy.

The history of the house dates back to 1399. After 1575 the house was renewed, but in the nineteenth century it decayed. In the twentieth century the house was restored but during the Second World War it became heavily damaged again. There are still plans for consolidating and partly restorating the remains.
A part of the remains is the so-called 'Chamber of the Witch.' Not clear is wether this room was ment to put witches on trial, or if it was the dwelling of a witch. Certain is that the ghost of a witch haunts the place.

The poor remains of the Chamber of the Witch, and one of the irons to catch witches at Hernen Castle

In the sixteenth century there was a terrible witch hunt going on. People were terrified of witches, of whom they believed that they flew on broomsticks, made cattle and people ill, destroyed the harvest and took the shape of animals. That's why the people tried everything to protect themselves for those creatures.
The outer walls of Hernen Castle for instance carry decorative irons that only were ment to catch witches. When they were flying on their broomsticks around the castle, and came to close to the wall, they got stuck with their brooms on the iron and fell down into the moat, where they drowned. Witches couldn't swim, you know.