Burg Eversberg: A Medieval Hilltop Castle in Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page6 sections
History
Burg Eversberg is a medieval hilltop castle in Germany, situated above the Ruhr valley at Eversberg in Meschede. Its initial construction is dated to 1093–1124 and is traditionally attributed to an otherwise undocumented Count Eberhard of Arnsberg, a medieval territorial ruler in the Sauerland region of Westphalia.
Foundation and Reconstruction
A fire destroyed the castle in 1235. Count Gottfried III of Arnsberg rebuilt it, using the fortress to protect his territory against the Electorate of Cologne, the territory governed by the archbishop-electors of Cologne, who were also powerful secular princes of the Holy Roman Empire. The rebuilt castle is probably associated with around 1242.
In the same year, Gottfried III founded the town of Eversberg and granted it Lippe town law, a body of municipal rights and legal provisions associated with the medieval territory of Lippe. The castle therefore formed part of the territorial and urban development connected with Eversberg during the thirteenth century.
Decline and Heritage Status
Burg Eversberg fell into decline from the sixteenth century onward. Its surviving remains are recognized as an architectural heritage monument in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Remains
Hilltop Fortress
The ruins occupy the 453-metre Schlossberg in the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park, above the Ruhr valley on the southern edge of Eversberg. The castle was built as a hilltop fortress. Today, the physical remains consist chiefly of the stump of the keep, the principal fortified tower of a medieval castle, together with scant sections of wall.
Viewing Platform
A wooden viewing platform was installed on the keep stump in modern times. Rising approximately 7.5 metres, it provides views north toward Eversberg, south across the Ruhr valley, and toward the surrounding Sauerland mountains.
