Fürstenberg Castle (german: Burg Fürstenberg), also called the

Electoral Cologne The Electorate of Cologne (german: Kurfürstentum Köln), sometimes referred to as Electoral Cologne (german: Kurköln, links=no), was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 10th to the early 19th century ...

State Castle ('' kurkölnische Landesburg''), is a ruined castle near the former site of the village Höingen, in the municipality of

Ense Ense () is a municipality in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Ense is situated on the river Möhne, approx. 12 km north-west of Arnsberg and 12 km south-west of Soest. Ense lies at the northside of ...

, Soest in the German state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

. Built on a high point above the Ruhr as a castle for the Archbishop of Cologne, who was among the

prince elector The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...

s of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

, the site was called the Prince's Hill (''Fürstenberg''), lending its name to the

House of Fürstenberg (Westphalia) The House of Fürstenberg is the name of a German noble family of Westphalia, which descended from Hermannus de Vorstenberg. He was a liegeman of the Archbishop of Cologne, who was among the prince electors of the Holy Roman Empire. Hermannus he ...

that started with the

Imperial Knight The Free Imperial knights (german: link=no, Reichsritter la, Eques imperii) were free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Emperor. They were the remnants of the medieval free nobility ('' edelfrei'') and the minister ...

Hermann, the ''

Lehnsmann A ''Lehnsmann'' (plural: ''Lehnsleute'' or ''Lehnsmänner'') or ''Lehnsnehmer'' (also spelt ''Lehens-'') was a nobleman in the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries, who, as a liegeman was obliged to render service, goods in kind and loyalty to ...

'' who held the castle for the prince when it was first built, . Burg Fürstenberg (Höingen) Mauerreste

Location

The

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

of this

hill castle A hill castle or mountain castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German ''Höhenburg'' used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location. Hill castles a ...

lie on the hill of Fürstenberg above the site of the former village of Höingen and the Ruhr. It was part of the Duchy of Westphalia and was in a position of strategic importance on the border with the County of Arnsberg. The

inner bailey The inner bailey or inner ward of a castle is the strongly fortified enclosure at the heart of a medieval castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It is protected by the outer w ...

was on an eminence known as ''Richters Köpfchen'', the outer bailey further away on the site of the present Chapel on the Fürstenberg.

History

The castle is first mentioned in 1295. At that time its first castellan (''

Burgmann From the 12th century in central Europe, a ''Burgmann'' (plural: ''Burgmannen'' or modern term ''Burgmänner'', Latin: ''oppidanus'', ''castrensus'') was a knight ministeriales or member of the nobility who was obliged to guard and defend castles. ...

''), Hermann of Fürstenberg is cited, the first record of the now flourishing family of the barons of Fürstenberg. This Herman came from the family of Binolen ( Hönnetal), but later named itself after their administrative seat of Fürstenberg. The castle was involved in numerous military actions: * 1303/04 - destruction by Count Everd of the Mark in his feud against Archbishop Wigbold, * 1307/09 - Archbishop

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

rebuilt the castle. On 8 December 1309 he was in the castle and signed two documents, * 1311 - Count

Engelbert II of the Mark Engelbert II of the Mark (1275 – July 18, 1328) was Count of the Mark and through marriage, Count of Arenberg. Family He was the son and heir of Count Eberhard II and his wife, Irmgard of Berg. On January 25, 1299, he married Mechtilde of Are ...

destroyed the castle, * 1313 - Bishop Henry rebuilt the castle, * 1343/44 - the castle was finally destroyed by the counts of Arnsberg and of the Mark. Members of the family of Fürstenberg lived at that time as castellans in

Werl Werl (; Westphalian: ''Wiärl'') is a town located in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Werl is easily accessible because it is located between the Sauerland, Münsterland, and the Ruhr Area. The Hellweg road ...

and around 1365/70 built Waterlappe Castle, which became their family seat in 1633. When in 1368 the County of Arnsberg was transferred to the Electors of Cologne, the border castle on the Fürstenberg hill lost its significance. The town of Neheim, now in Cologne, took over the defensive function in this area against the counts of the Mark.

Site

Even today the ring-shaped, medieval ramparts of the castle may be seen in the woods on the Fürstenberg. They are a protected site. Two fortifications may be distinguished: :a) Oldenburg, a large rampart system in which the castle chapel is located, :b) ''Richters Köpfchen'', lower down, a small medieval stone castle. Individual remains of the stone castle on "Richters Köpfchen" may still be seen. The Chapel on the Fürstenberg, on the tip of the hill, has been recorded since 1429.

Literature

* Jens Friedhoff: ''Sauerland und Siegerland. Theiss Burgenführer''. Published by Joachim Zeune. Theiss, Stuttgart, 2002, , pp. 70–71. * Michael Jolk und Günter Bertzen: ''Der Fürstenberg. Kapelle, Badehaus, Vegetation und Heilkräuter''. Westfälische Kunststätten, Issue 92. Selbstverlag, Münster, 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Burg Furstenberg Castles in North Rhine-Westphalia Duchy of Westphalia