Altena Castle

Altena, Germany

Altena Castle was erected by the brothers Adolf and Everhard von Berg around the year 1108 after Henry V granted them land in Sauerland. On Wulfseck Mountain they built their castle, which they named Wulfeshagen, later Altena. This is one of the three legends of the establishment of the county of Altena and the building of the castle.

After the acquisition of Mark near the city of Hamm in 1198, the counts of Altena took Mark Castle as their primary residence and called themselves the Counts of the Mark. They occasionally inhabited Altena Castle and from 1392 onward it was used as a residence for the county bailiff (Amtmann).

In 1912, Richard Schirrmann established the world's first youth hostel within the castle, which is still in use today (Jugendherberge Burg Altena).

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Burgweg 9, Altena, Germany
See all sites in Altena

Details

Founded: 1108
Category: Castles and fortifications in Germany
Historical period: Salian Dynasty (Germany)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Yasmine A. (17 months ago)
Beautiful castle, worth the money. More than enough to see. There are many stairs and small “hallways” so keep that in mind while visiting, but definitely worth the experience ?
Gaurav Kulkarni (2 years ago)
Nice Historic Places to visit, lots of old History open inside this place, good audio guidance for each room, there 28 rooms with lots of Equipment, tools, picture?️, etc.
Adrijana Pinjusic (2 years ago)
Such a great place in the heart of Ruhr area. A great way to spend Sunday with your family. I am just amazed at how well everything is preserved and authentic.
Larisa Conchi (2 years ago)
the castle is very beautiful and the entrance is accessible to everyone, but all the exhibits are only described in German, it would be very good if they were also in English for tourists!
Glodan Mircea (2 years ago)
No words to describe the beauty of this castle. So well preserved and with acces to most of the rooms... Also the access to the elevator from the tunnel is simply amazing. The elevator was 4.9 Euro per person,but worth every scent.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

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.