 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2023) |
| Wewelsburg | |
|---|---|
 Wewelsburg, seen from the Alme valley | |
  Wewelsburg Location of Wewelsburg  Wewelsburg Wewelsburg (Germany) | |
| General information | |
| Type | Castle |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| Town or city | Wewelsburg |
| Country | Germany |
| Coordinates | 51°36′23″N 8°39′06″E / 51.60639°N 8.65167°E |
| Current tenants | Kreismuseum Wewelsburg, Youth hostel |
| Construction started | 1603 |
| Completed | 1609 |
| Renovated | 1650–1660 19th century 1930s/1940s 1948/1949 1973–1975 |
| Client | Dietrich von Fürstenberg |
| Owner | District of Paderborn |
Wewelsburg (German pronunciation: [ˈveːvl̩sbʊɐ̯k]) is a Renaissance castle located in the village of Wewelsburg, which is a district of the town of Büren, Westphalia, in the Landkreis of Paderborn in the northeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The castle has a triangular layout, with three round towers connected by massive walls. After 1934 it was used by the SS under Heinrich Himmler, and was to be expanded into a complex which would serve as the central SS cult-site.[1]
After 1941, plans were developed to enlarge it to be the so-called "Centre of the World".[2] In 1950, the castle reopened as a museum and youth hostel. (The youth hostel is one of the largest in Germany.)[citation needed] The castle today hosts the Historical Museum of the Prince Bishopric of Paderborn and the Wewelsburg 1933–1945 Memorial Museum.
- ^ "Wewelsburg 1933–1945. Cult- and terror place of the SS" (PDF). lwl.org. p. 214.
- ^ James Bjorkman, "Heinrich Himmler: Hitler's Executioner," World War II in Pictures, Retrieved 5 January 2019.