Meerbusch

The Rhine at Meerbusch

CathyDobson

In the current heatwave the only hint of a cool breeze is to be found down by the Rhine. The best place to catch it is the middle of the river from a boat.

View from the ferry at Kierst across to Kaiserswerth

Unfortunately the ferry between Meerbusch and Kasierswerth is not operating at the moment as it is ‘moonlighting’ for a couple of weeks as a pleasure boat at the fair in Oberkassel. We are obliged to cool off as best we can on the banks.

  • Rhine view upstream
  • Rhine view downstream

The low level of the Rhine means wide beaches have appeared along parts of the river, especially around Meerbusch. The locals are making the most of this, holding barbecues and parties there every evening.

Schloß Pesch pre- and post-renovation

CathyDobson

Much has changed at Schloß Pesch since the 1970s. Back then, the schloss was abandoned and in a state of disrepair with peeling paint, cracked plaster, its grounds wild and overgrown. Since then it has been extensively renovated and turned into upmarket apartments. The park has been tamed and the ghosts are firmly discouraged. I found these two videos online which capture the transformation which has taken place.

The renovation of the chapel at Schloss Pesch

CathyDobson

A number of people have contacted me with questions about the chapel at Schloß Pesch and in particular about what it looked like before the renovation. For those who have not visited Schloß Pesch, the former chapel is situated to the left of the schloss as you approach it, slightly set back from the Rentei (staff quarters) which is the building with the clock tower.

To get a better impression of how the old chapel used to look and what changes have been made to it, there is an excellent collection of photographs on the architect’s website. Well worth a browse.

Pre-renovation view of the Rentei at Schloss Pesch with the ruined chapel in the background

Old stories about Meerbusch

CathyDobson

One of the characters in The Devil’s Missal is a collector of stories. He travels around the various villages of Meerbusch talking to residents, gathering their tales of times past and present, trawling through old photographs, letters and diaries.

As a rural community, many of the anecdotes will have been about life on the land, which has seen great changes in the past century. It seems strange to think that only eighty years ago there were still farmers ploughing with oxen or horses in the area.

The Teloy Mühle in Lank

CathyDobson

When I picked the Teloy windmill as the setting for a particular scene in The Devil’s Missal, I was particularly looking for somewhere which looks rock solid – a safe port in a storm, so to speak.
I was in Lank today and thought I’d drive past the windmill to take a photo for this blog, but then the same thing happened as always seems to happen to me when I go there. I couldn’t find the windmill. I know, I know, how can you lose something the size of a windmill? In my defence, it is hidden by trees and other buildings until almost the point where you’re walking into it. Anyway, the elusive mill couldn’t evade me in the end. Here are a couple of snaps to prove it.

Schloß Pesch in The Devil’s Missal

CathyDobson

One of the most engaging aspects of The Devil’s Missal is the eerie setting of Schloss Pesch in Meerbusch for some of the key scenes. Since the events of the book the schloss has been extensively cleaned and renovated, to remove the decay and ghostly atmosphere which is so redolent in the novel. In particular the dilapidated old chapel which plays a crucial role in The Devil’s Missal has been renovated almost beyond recognition. For readers who know what went on there, this will come as a relief…

  • Schloss Pesch today
  • Schloss Pesch in The Devil’s Missal
  • The Chapel today
  • The Chapel in The Devil’s Missal

The St. Pankratius chapel in Ossum, Meerbusch

CathyDobson

One of the secret treasures of Meerbusch is the beautiful chapel of Saint Pankratius at Ossum.

St. Pankriatus Church was built in the 12th century as a private chapel to the Court of Grevenhof. The chapel itself is first documented in 1186, but Roman hand millstones, which were used in the construction of the choir of the chapel, and archeological finds dating from the Carolingian era indicate much earlier settlements.

Unlike other own churches in the region, St. Pankratius never became an independent parish church, but remained as a subsidiary branch of St. Stephanus church in Lank Latum.

In 1868 the Romanesque choir had fallen into disrepair and had to be demolished. It was replaced with a new neo-Romanesque polygonal choir. From 1900, an increase in the local population necessitated the building of an extension of the chapel on the western side.

In The Devil’s Missal the chapel provides a resonant setting for one of the crucial scenes in the story.

Early morning at Schloss Pesch in Meerbusch

CathyDobson

I chose Schloss Pesch in Meerbusch and the woods surrounding it as the setting for The Devil’s Missal. The atmosphere is perfect for an eerie tale of occult happenings and mystery. These are three photographs I took from an upper window of the Schloss very early one morning before the Rheinland mist had fully cleared.

Views from Schloss Pesch looking east towards Schürkesfeld.

A psychological thriller set in the Rhineland

CathyDobson

The Devil’s Missal is Cathy Dobson’s latest novel, an intelligently constructed psychological thriller set in the Rhineland, combining classic horror themes with the terrifying history of witchcraft and sexual deviance through the ages, all under the oppressive shadow of a corrupted church.