Wewelsburg (German pronunciation: [ˈveːvəlsˌbʊɐ̯k]) is a Renaissance castle located in the village of Wewelsburg, which is a district of the town of Büren, Westphalia, in the Landkreis of Paderborn in the northeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Wewelsburg (German pronunciation: [ˈveːvəlsˌbʊɐ̯k]) is a Renaissance castle located in the village of Wewelsburg, which is a district of the town of Büren, Westphalia, in the Landkreis of Paderborn in the northeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The castle has a triangular layout - three round towers connected by massive walls. After 1934, it was used by the SS under Heinrich Himmler and was to be expanded into a complex acting as the central SS cult-site.
After 1941, plans were developed to enlarge it to be the so-called "Centre of the World". In 1950, the castle reopened as a museum and youth hostel. (The youth hostel is one of the largest in Germany.) The castle today hosts the Historical Museum of the Prince Bishopric of Paderborn and the Wewelsburg 1933-1945 Memorial Museum.
Predecessor buildings existed: Wifilisburg was used during the 9th and 10th centuries against the Hungarians.
Another one was built by Earl Friedrich (Arnsberg) (de). After his death, the building was demolished in 1123/24 by peasants whom he had oppressed. In 1301, the Earl von Waldeck sold the Wewelsburg to the Prince-Bishop of Paderborn.
A document about this acquisition proves that two fortress-like buildings stood on the hill: the Bürensches Haus and the Waldecksches Haus.
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, at that time Dietrich von Fürstenberg (de). Its location is near what was then believed to be the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest of 9 BC.
The 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 (de). He carried out some architectural changes; the three towers of the castle got their baroque domes.
From 1589 to 1821, the castle was the place of residence of a bursary officer (or steward). Two witch trials took place in the Wewelsburg in 1631 (a former inquisition room is placed in the basement next to the east tower).
During the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the basement rooms were probably used as a military prison.
During 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.
At the end of the Twenties, the North Tower again proved to be the weak point of the architecture, and had to be supported by guy wires in winter 1932/33; the preservation of the castle was supported by the "Club for the preservation of the Wewelsburg" (Verein zur Erhaltung der Wewelsburg). After 1925, the renovation activities decreased.
The castle and SS school are the setting for the climactic scene of Philip Kerr's novel The Pale Criminal (1990).
The castle is mentioned in Tova Reich's satirical novel, My Holocaust: A Novel (2008).
The comic title Green Lantern Annual #3 (1994) includes the story "Rings of Evil", set in an alternate universe wherein the SS rose to world domination. This victory was made possible by Himmler's magic practice within Castle Wewelsburg.
The attempted destruction of the castle in 1945 forms the dénouement of Duncan Kyle's 1978 novel Black Camelot.
The castle appears in Jack Higgins' 1991 novel The Eagle Has Flown as a location for several encounters between Walter Schellenberg and Heinrich Himmler.
The castle was featured in a mission in the popular Playstation videogame Medal of Honor: Underground.
The castle is one of the locations visited in the videogame Lost Horizon.
Historical Museum and Extra Exhibition:
- Adults: EUR 3.00
Historical Museum and Extra Exhibition:
- Reduced Rate: EUR 1.50
- Yearly season ticket reduced rate EUR 10.00
Historical Museum and Extra Exhibition:
- Family Ticket: EUR 6.00
- Groups of 10 and upwards, price per person: EUR 2.00
- Groups of pupils, price per pers: EUR 1.00
- Yearly season family ticket: EUR 25.00
Permanent Exhibitions (Ideology and Terror of the SS) - free of charge