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14. 06. 12. - 13:00

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14. 06. 12. - 13:00

Time For a Knight Off?

A houseproud German has proved that it's not only Englishmen's homes that can be their castles - after constructing a mini medieval mansion in his back garden.

Retired brickie Heinz-Richard Schanewolf, 76 - from Dudweiler - spent 37 years building his masterpiece out of bricks, stone and more than 5,000 bags of cement.

As well as a watch tower, it features an 18,000 litre aquarium in the basement.

Now the 50ft high battlements and castle keep dominate his entire house and garden and have cost Heinz and his long-suffering wife Hildegard-Maria at least 50,000 GBP.

Heinz explained: "I started building a wall and then it just developed. The more I built the more I wanted to build."

"I will never be totally finished as I always want to add more and more to the castle," he added.

Stony-faced Hildegard-Maria added: "We have never been on holiday. We have only ever visited Heinz’s mother.

"My husband grew up interested in castles. Now he has his very own."

Now Heinz is to contact world record officials to see if he can register the castle as the planet's biggest garden ornament.

One neighbour added: "Hopefully he'll stop one day. It's stunning but it doesn't quite match the rest of the houses in the street."

German Herald

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