History and stories
Myths and legends. The history of the town is the history of the counts, prince electors, knights and ladies of the castle.
In the 11th century, the counts of Arnsberg build the old castle on the "Römberg". Around the year 1100 they already move into a new fortress on the "Schloßberg" (castle hill) opposite. During the following years and centuries the Arnsberg castle sees a history full of changes - first under the counts and, later on, under the prince electors of Cologne. Under the prince elector Clemens August it gets its last magnificent improvements by the Westphalian baroque architect Johann Conrad Schlaun. In 1734 the grim fortress changes into a "civil" hunting and residential castle, which changes back into a theatre of war during the "Seven Years' War".
for the old Edgar-Wallace-films
1762 allied troops besiege the castle, bomb it and damage it severely. Money shortage hinders the rebuilding; the palace gets used as a quarry. A model of the castle, as well as the various stages in history, is now to be seen in the "Sauerland Museum" in Arnsberg.
The mediaeval centre of the town and the, during the last years costly redeveloped, castle ruin make the frame for the "legendarische stadswandelingen", during which myths and legends of the old Arnsberg are being told - and they are not only spine-chilling for children!
Voßwinkel.
In other places the aristocracy left their traces, as well. In the 17th century the family "von Fürstenberg", their ancestral seat was on the "Fürstenberg" (ruler's hill) near Neheim, buys an estate which is being extended into Herdringen Castle. The castle in its present form (partly Tudor style), is being built by Cologne's Cathedral architect Zwirner in the last century. The castle grounds, set up in English style, with a wonderful tree population served, as well as the building itself, as a background for a few Edgar-Wallace-films. The autumn mists in Sauerland provided a real eerie atmosphere.
on top of Römberg.
Another stately aristocratic building is the dreamy situated moated castle Höllinghofen of the family "von Boeselager" in Voßwinkel.
Herdringen castle - background for the old Edgar-Wallace-films. Höllinghofen castle near Voßwinkel. Quite often only the remains of walls, hills or ramparts remind us of the various bulwarks and defences in Arnsberg. The stories that have grown up around them will remain unforgotten.
Gerhard Rath, performs legendary guided tours through in Alt-Arnsberg:
"Arnsberg is full of myths and legends. When I tell the story of the leather made bridge, which is said to have been drawn across the Ruhr valley by the devil, the groups become as quiet as mice. And not only children steal a peep over the castle hill wall down into the valley in case there might be any remains of the bridge to be seen."
