Fürstenberg Castle (), also called the Electoral Cologne State Castle ('' kurkölnische Landesburg''), is a ruined

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

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 north side ...

, Soest in the German state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

. Built on a high point above the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...

as a castle for the

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne ...

, who was among the

prince elector The prince-electors ( pl. , , ) were the members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire, which elected the Holy Roman Emperor. Usually, half of the electors were archbishops. From the 13th century onwards, a small group of prince- ...

s of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, 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 nobility, 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 E ...

that started with the

Imperial Knight The Free Imperial Knights (, ) were free nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, whose direct overlord was the Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor. They were the remnants of the medieval free nobility (''edelfrei'') and the ministerialis, ministeriales. What ...

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, .

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

. It was part of the

Duchy of Westphalia The Duchy of Westphalia () was a historic territory in the Holy Roman Empire, which existed from 1102 to 1803. It was located in the greater region of Westphalia, originally one of the three main regions in the German stem duchy of Saxony and ...

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 ...

was on an eminence known as ''Richters Köpfchen'', the

outer bailey An outer bailey or outer ward is the defended outer enclosure of a castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It protects the inner bailey and usually contains those ancillary bui ...

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 and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

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 A ...

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 The pilgrimage town Werl (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Wiärl'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia and belongs to the Soest, Germany, Soest district in the Arnsberg administrative district. The official name of pilgrimage town has been ...

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