Iburg Castle, Bad Driburg, Germany

Iburg is a ruined hill castle in Westphalia. It was build around the 8th century, dating back to the time of Charlemagne and his war with the Saxons. Today it is a popular day-trip destination and the tower, named after Charlemagne (Kaiser Karl Turm), can be climbed for beautiful views.

It is likely that the castle was originally erected by Saxons as a fortified stronghold but once conquered Charlemagne build a chapel within its confines to honour St.Peter, which he eventually gifted to the Arch-Diocese of Paderborn. From 1134 a monastery briefly used the castle before the Bishop of Paderborn fortified it to become a stronger military fortress in the late 12th century. The Iburg never saw much action, however, and slipped from importance until the 15th century, when Otto of Braunschweig destroyed it. The castle was not restored and the close-by city of Bad Driburg inherited the holdings.

First archeological surveys were undertaken on 1900 and gradually the ruins where freed and restored to serve as tourist attraction.

References:

knightsandcastlesorg.wordpress.com

User Reviews

Arthur Coolen (16 months ago)
Very nice preserved ruin and defence works from the 7th century. Much information along the route and inside the ruins. Pitty only in German. You can drive almost to the site, but there are also walking trails leading there, but those belong to the more difficult ones. There is a restaurant just past the ruins with a lookout tower.

Gabriel Toerien (2 years ago)
Humbling

Ben Fornefeld (2 years ago)
Very good place for a walk with friends or family, especially in winter :)

Monika Kinder (3 years ago)
Amazing service and delicious Waffles with red wine morello cherries, ice cream and cream.

Wendy Schneider (6 years ago)
This was a fairly large castle back in its time. The ruins are interesting and there are many informative plaques along the way. There is a cafe /restaurant across the street.

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Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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