Wewelsburg Castle

Büren, Germany

Wewelsburg castle is perched atop a wooded slope close to Paderborn's airport. The fortification Wifilisburg was used during the 9th and 10th centuries against the Hungarians. The next castle was demolished in 1123/24 by revolting peasants. From 1301 to 1589, the Prince-Bishops of Paderborn assigned the estate to miscellaneous liege lords.

The masonry of both predecessor buildings was integrated in the current triangular Renaissance castle. In its current form, the Wewelsburg was built from 1603 to 1609 as secondary residence for the Prince-Bishops of Paderborn. Wewelsburg was taken several times during the Thirty Years' War. In 1646 it was occupied and then razed by Swedish troops – namely by the army commanded by General Carl Gustav Wrangel. After 1650, the mostly destroyed castle was rebuilt by Prince-Bishop Theodor Adolf von der Recke and his successor Ferdinand von Fürstenberg. He carried out some architectural changes; the three towers of the castle got their Baroque style domes.

During the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the basement rooms were probably used as a military prison. In the 18th and 19th centuries the castle fell progressively into ruin. In 1802, during German mediatisation the castle came into the possession of the Prussian state . On 11 January 1815, the North Tower was gutted by a fire that was started by a lightning strike; only the outer walls remained. From 1832 to 1934, a rectory existed in the eastern part of the south wing of the castle.

In 1924, the castle became the property of the district of Büren and was changed into a cultural center. By 1925, the castle had been renovated into a local museum, banquet hall, restaurant and youth hostel. During the Nazi regime Wewelsburg was used a school for SS organisation, focusing to pseudo-scientific research in the fields of Germanic pre- and early history, medieval history, folklore and genealogy.

Today Wewelsburg hosts a Historical Museum of the Prince Bishopric of Paderborn, Wewelsburg 1933-1945 Memorial Museum and temporary exhibitions. 

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Burgwall 17, Büren, Germany
See all sites in Büren

Details

Founded: 1603-1609
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Reformation & Wars of Religion (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.wewelsburg.de

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Detmold Castle (39,8 km)
Externsteine Stones (34,4 km)
Kaiserpfalz Museum (14,4 km)
Paderborn Cathedral (14,4 km)
Sparrenberg Castle (46,2 km)
St. Nicholas Church (46,8 km)
Hermannsdenkmal (36,3 km)
Lemgo City Hall (49,9 km)
St. Mary's Church (46,4 km)

User Reviews

Sheryl Fredricks (19 months ago)
It was nice that it was open on a Sunday. I enjoyed both tours that were available through audio in English. One was a tour explaining the history of the Nazi SS and how they used the castle at Wewelsburg. The castle itself had a tour with explanation of the history of the Paderborn Wewelsburg area dating back thousands of years. I enjoyed this educational visit.
Kayleigh Mills (19 months ago)
A lovely place to spend half a day, really interesting museum, whilst alot of the interactive material is only in German there is some information in English too. This triangle castle is pretty cool and the cafe serves fab food at a reasonable price, its nice to have a walk around the grounds too.
Tatu Luuk (20 months ago)
Awesome acustics, you should definately go here and try the vibes in the middle of the basement while talking to it
Matthew Harcourt (20 months ago)
Good value for money, good exhibits, they make an effort to make it accessible for children. We enjoyed it.
Shaun Hanlon (2 years ago)
We live next to the Burg, it's a beautiful, well kept village and very peaceful and quiet. It gets quite busy at weekends with visitors to the Museum, there is a large free car park. Enjoy Wewelsburg; it's a beautiful location.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

Historic Site of the week

Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.