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14. 06. 12. - 13:00

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14. 06. 12. - 13:00

Time For a Knight Off?

Kathryn Quinn

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."

Tragic Ski Girl Dies
A 10-year-old British schoolgirl has died after skiing into a tree at high speed during a family holiday tragedy in the Austrian Alps.

Peak Performance
Police chiefs in Hamburg, Germany, are celebrating after new crime figures showed there wasn't a single bank robbery in the city last year.

Chinese Fakeaway
Chinese property developers who've been thwarted in a bid to buy up an entire Austrian village have settled on the next best thing - an entire life-sized replica.

Austrian children help Romanian kids
A charity project run by the middle school in Hippach has been recognised with an award for its social work by officials in Tyrol.

Mother kills disabled daughter because she couldnt take care of her any longer
A Romanian woman killed her 8 year-old disabled daughter on Wednesday (yesterday)because she couldn't pay for her care, Libertatea newspaper reports.

Policeman accused of sex with the son of his girlfriend
A Policeman from Vulcan, Western Romania is currently being investigated for having sex with a minor, the son of his girlfriend, Cancan newspaper informs today (Thurs).

Serial killer survivor walks away alive after fall
An 85 year-old woman who survived the most cruel and notorious serial killer in Romania some 40 years ago, recently fell from the first floor of her apartment building and she walked away safe and sound, Cancan newspaper reports today (Thurs).

The son of Qatar Airlines BA beaten up in Romania
The son of the Board of Administration of Qatar Airlines Akbar Al Baker, was beaten up over the weekend at the launching party of a posh club in Mamaia, at the Romanian Black Sea shore, Cancan newspaper reports.

Majority starts president’s suspension procedures
A day after the Social Liberal Union (USL) legislators dismissed with a large majority of votes the two Speakers of the Parliament, the Union started today the procedures for the suspension and possible impeachment of President Traian Basescu. This is the second time when the Parliament asks for Basescu’s suspension.

Some 177 Roma repatriated by French authorities to Romania
Some 177 Romanian citizens of Roma origin were repatriated on Tuesday night from Lille, France, Romania TV news channel informs today (Weds).