Hardenstein Castle: A Medieval Water Castle and Fortified Manor House in Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Hardenstein Castle is a medieval ruin in Witten, Germany, built between 1345 and 1354 as a lowland water castle and fortified manor house. It stands on the middle Ruhr between Herbede and central Witten, within the Hardenstein nature reserve near the Muttental.
Foundation and the von Hardenstein family
In 1354, Heinrich II von Hardenberg sold the lordship of Hardenberg, in present-day Velbert, to Count Gerhard I of Jülich-Berg. Heinrich then settled with his family on the southern bank of the Ruhr between Herbede and Witten. His descendants adopted the name von Hardenstein and became associated with the castle.
In 1378, Heinrich IV von Hardenstein began a feud against Dortmund, probably because he owed a substantial sum to a Jewish merchant there. An attack involving about 1,000 men failed. During a later campaign, Cologne troops captured Heinrich IV, who was executed.
Marriage, occupation, and abandonment
Hardenstein Castle passed to Robert Stael von Holstein in 1439 through his marriage to the daughter of Heinrich V. The castle remained inhabited during the sixteenth century. After it was abandoned in the eighteenth century, the buildings began to deteriorate.
Preservation and interpretation
The city of Herbede leased the castle in 1974, and the city of Witten took over the lease in 1975. Since 1974, the Burgfreunde Hardenstein association has researched and cared for the ruins. Castle archives and an archaeological collection of finds from the site are held in a small museum at Witten-Herbede primary school.
Weathering and delayed safety measures continued to damage the structure. An intermediate wall of the main castle collapsed during the night of 16 March 2010. Repairs to endangered wall sections were completed in 2012, after which the ruins became accessible again. Hardenstein is recognized as both an architectural monument and an archaeological monument and is included in Witten’s relevant heritage lists. Since 2009, the ruins have been illuminated at night, and a video-surveillance system installed in 2017 made Hardenstein the first video-monitored castle ruin in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Local folklore places Goldemar, also called Volmar, at the castle. The invisible dwarf king was said to have stayed as a guest of a member of the Hardenstein family. After a kitchen boy scattered peas and flour to reveal his footprints, Goldemar killed, cooked, and ate him before disappearing and cursing the family. Goldemar belongs to legend rather than documented history.
Remains
Castle layout and construction
Hardenstein was built as a lowland water castle and a Festes Haus, meaning a fortified residential manor with limited defensive capability. Its principal purpose was the residence of its aristocratic owners rather than service as a major military fortress. Rubble stone forms the surviving fabric, while the original surrounding moat helped define the complex.
Walls and towers
The ruins retain sections of the perimeter walls and two round corner towers. Around 1430 to 1440, the southern side was enlarged with two flanking towers and a shield wall, a particularly strong defensive section intended to protect a vulnerable side. An intermediate wall of the main castle collapsed in 2010, and endangered wall sections were repaired in 2012.
River setting and archaeological remains
The castle stood on the southern bank of the Ruhr. Until the Ruhr Valley Railway was completed in the nineteenth century, the river ran directly beside the site. The railway now runs on the north side and separates the ruins from the river. The Muttental mining trail begins immediately behind the southern perimeter wall, and the site is located at Hardensteiner Weg in Witten-Herbede.
