Wewelsburg

Wewelsburg 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 - 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 acting as the central SS cult-site.After 1941, plans were developed to enlarge it to be the so-called "Centre of the World". In 1950, the castle reopened as a museum and youth hostel. (The youth hostel is one of the largest in Germany.) The castle today hosts the Historical Museum of the Prince Bishopric of Paderborn and the Wewelsburg 1933-1945 Memorial Museum.HistoryEarlier structuresPredecessor buildings existed: Wifilisburg was used during the 9th and 10th centuries against the Hungarians.Another one was built by Earl. After his death, the building was demolished in 1123/24 by peasants whom he had oppressed. In 1301, the Earl von Waldeck sold the Wewelsburg to the Prince-Bishop of Paderborn.A document about this acquisition proves that two fortress-like buildings stood on the hill: the Bürensches Haus and the Waldecksches Haus.Current structurePrince-Bishops of PaderbornFrom 1301 to 1589, the Prince-Bishops of Paderborn assigned the estate to miscellaneous liege lords.