Ludwigstein Castle (german: Burg Ludwigstein) is a 15th-century castle overlooking the river

Werra The Werra (), a river in central Germany, is the right-bank headwater of the Weser. "Weser" is a synonym in an old dialect of German. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After the Werra joins the river Fulda in the ...

and surrounded by woodland. It stands southwest of the town of

Witzenhausen Witzenhausen is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northeastern Hesse, Germany. It was granted town rights in 1225, and until 1974, it was a district seat. The University of Kassel maintains a satellite campus in Witzenhausen at which i ...

in North

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

. Founded in 1415 the castle's buildings today were built in the 16th and 20th centuries. It was allowed to go to ruin in the late 19th century. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

Wandervogel ''Wandervogel'' (plural: ''Wandervögel''; English: "Wandering Bird") is the name adopted by a popular movement of German youth groups from 1896 to 1933, who protested against industrialization by going to hike in the country and commune with n ...

and

German Youth Movement The German Youth Movement (german: Die deutsche Jugendbewegung) is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities. The movement ...

joined together to save the castle. In 1920 they founded the Jugendburg Ludwigstein Association to buy the structure, renovate it, and erect a memorial to the fifty thousand Wandervogel who had been killed from 1914 to 1918. During the Nazi period, however, the castle became first a training center for the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

, then a destination for city children evacuated to avoid air raids during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. After the war it served briefly as a refugee camp. Suppressed in 1941, the Jugendburg Ludwigstein Association was re-founded in 1945, and took renewed possession of the castle in 1946. The castle's youth education centre (''Jugendbildungsstätte'') offers both daily programs and weekend seminars, ranging from ecological topics to music and political education. Also on site are the Archives of the German Youth Movement with their own library and collections of personal papers. The castle is today the main center of the ''Bündische Jugend'' and many German Scouting associations. The castle also serves as a hostel with up to 180 beds and different meeting rooms.
* Knud Ahlborn (1888–1977) * Ellen Gregori (1897–1981) *

Eberhard Koebel Eberhard Koebel also Eberhard Köbel, called ''tusk'', i.e., "the German" in the language of the Sámi people he traveled among, (22 June 1907 – 31 August 1955) was a German youth leader, writer, and publisher. Eberhard Koebel was born in Stu ...

(1907–1955) founder of '

Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1.11.1929 The Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1.11.1929, abbreviated dj.1.11, was a youth group within the German Youth Movement. History The group was founded within the Scouting movement by Eberhard Köbel on 1 November 1929. It demerged from the Deutsche F ...

' * Alexander Lion (1870–1962) founder of first German Scout Organization 'Deutscher Pfadfinderbund' * Karl Otto Paetel (1906–1975) * Gertrud Prellwitz (1869–1942) * Gustav Wyneken (1875–1964)

Pictures

Image:Ludwigstein.jpg, Ludwigstein today Image:Burg Ludwigstein De Merian Hassiae.jpg, Matthäus Merian's 1655 engraving in ''Topographia Hassiae''

External links

Foundation Jugendburg Ludwigstein

Association Jugendburg Ludwigstein e. V.

Archive of German Youth Movement

Ecucational centre Ludwigstein gGmbH
Scouting and Guiding in Germany Castles in Hesse Buildings and structures in Werra-Meißner-Kreis German Youth Movement Jugendburg {{Germany-castle-stub