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:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 8th century AD
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Part of The Frankish Empire (Germany)

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Arthur Coolen (12 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.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Ogrodzieniec Castle Ruins

Ogrodzieniec Castle is a ruined medieval castle originally built in the 14th–15th century by the W³odkowie Sulimczycy family. Established in the early 12th century, during the reign of Boles³aw III Wrymouth, the first stronghold was razed by the Tatars in 1241. In the mid-14th century a new gothic castle was built here to accommodate the Sulimczycy family. Surrounded by three high rocks, the castle was well integrated into the area. The defensive walls were built to close the circuit formed by the rocks, and a narrow opening between two of the rocks served as an entrance.

In 1470 the castle and lands were bought by the wealthy Cracovian townsmen, Ibram and Piotr Salomon. Then, Ogrodzieniec became the property of Jan Feliks Rzeszowski, the rector of Przemy¶l and the canon of Cracow. The owners of the castle about that time were also Jan and Andrzej Rzeszowskis, and later Pilecki and Che³miñski families. In 1523 the castle was bought by Jan Boner.