Wewelsburg

Wewelsburg
Wewelsburg, seen from the Alme valley
Wewelsburg is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Wewelsburg
Wewelsburg
Location of Wewelsburg
Wewelsburg is located in Germany
Wewelsburg
Wewelsburg
Wewelsburg (Germany)
General information
TypeCastle
Architectural styleRenaissance
Town or cityWewelsburg
CountryGermany
Coordinates51°36′23″N 8°39′06″E / 51.60639°N 8.65167°E / 51.60639; 8.65167
Current tenantsKreismuseum Wewelsburg,
Youth hostel
Construction started1603
Completed1609
Renovated1650–1660
19th century
1930s/1940s
1948/1949
1973–1975
ClientDietrich von Fürstenberg [de]
OwnerDistrict 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.

  1. ^ "Wewelsburg 1933–1945. Cult- and terror place of the SS" (PDF). lwl.org. p. 214.
  2. ^ James Bjorkman, "Heinrich Himmler: Hitler's Executioner," World War II in Pictures, Retrieved 5 January 2019.