Berge Castle

Due to its poor condition, Haus Witten was sold to the city of Witten in 1937 and used by the Hitler Youth.

Towards the end of World War II, the house was severely damaged by air raids on December 12, 1944, and March 19, 1945. What remained were primarily the street-facing tower, parts of the residential wing, and the outer walls of the three wings. For many decades, Haus Witten remained a ruin.

After the bombing, parts of the building, such as gables, were removed to secure the ruin. In 1964, further substance losses occurred due to renewed stabilization work. It was considered to preserve the remains of Haus Witten as a "maintained ruin." From 1975 to 1988, the ruin was then restored in nine construction phases. During this process, further building fabric at risk of collapse was also removed.

Since 1988, new perspectives have developed with the support of the state government. Haus Witten was to offer new spaces for the adult education center and music school, as well as for other cultural projects through expansion. A historical reconstruction was to be avoided. The newly constructed building parts were deliberately designed to contrast with the old substance in terms of material and form. The head of the Westphalian Office for Monument Preservation, Eberhard Grunsky, legitimized this concept with the condition of the ruin after World War II:

“What is protected as a monument is not Haus Berge in its form before World War II, but the existing fragmentary remains. The task of monument preservation will therefore not be to restore a former appearance by supplementing the ruin. The primary task of monument preservation is seen in conceiving and executing the new building parts necessary for use as independent constructive units, so that interventions in the historical substance are limited to the indispensable minimum.”

– Eberhard Grunsky: Haus Berge zu Witten. Text for the groundbreaking ceremony on November 22, 1992. Witten 1992, p. 3.

Between 1992 and 1996, under the direction of architects Hans Busso von Busse and Eberhard Carl Klapp, the complex was rebuilt using steel, concrete, and glass elements, while preserving the former floor plan and wall remnants. In 1998, it was awarded the North Rhine-Westphalia Architecture Prize by the Association of German Architects BDA. Striking building elements include the differently shaped steel windows and doors in contrast to the unplastered old building fabric, the regular concrete coffers of the ceilings, and various other steel elements such as columns, supports, stairs, and facade parts.

Today, Haus Witten houses, among other things, the municipal music school, the Witten Integration Office, and a restaurant. There are also various event rooms, including a cinema and concert hall. Furthermore, it is possible to get married in the premises of Haus Witten. In the basement of the house, there is also a small permanent exhibition with historical finds related to Haus Witten and the city of Witten itself. The inner courtyard and the concert hall serve as venues for ExtraSchicht, the Kultursommer, and the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik. Since 2011, it has been a station on the Route of Industrial Heritage, thematic route 11 Early Industrialization.