The remains of the Castle can be visited
CastleWetter
Wetter Castle
Wetter Castle on Lake Harkortsee, at an elevation of about 100 meters above sea level in the town of Wetter (Ruhr), was one of the most significant castles in the Ruhr valley. Today, it is a ruin and is located near Wetter Town Hall in the area of the historic Freiheit Wetter, on an outcrop of the Ardey Mountains. The Counts of Mark administered their possessions on the Ruhr from here.
The place name Wetter first appears in documents in 1214 in connection with the mention of the knights Bruno and Friedrich. The castle was then built between 1250 and 1274 by the Counts of Mark as an outpost against the Electoral Cologne castle of Volmarstein. Count Engelbert I of Mark bequeathed the castle on January 28, 1274, as a wedding gift to his son Count Eberhard I of Mark.
From Wetter Castle, the Wetter district was administered from 1300, and from 1324, Volmarstein as well. Freiheit and the village, which formed an administrative unit, received the Freiheit privilege in 1355. This meant municipal self-government, limited local jurisdiction, and the right to elect a mayor.
During the Soest Feud from 1444 to 1449, the Märkisch bailiff Craft Stecken was besieged in the castle by Cologne and Bohemian forces. From the 16th century onwards, the castle increasingly fell into disrepair due to lack of use.
With the establishment of the Kleve-Märkisch Mining Office in Freiheit Wetter, the town received crucial impulses for its future development, especially after Heinrich Friedrich Karl Freiherr vom Stein became director of the mining office in 1784. After the mining office was moved to Bochum, Friedrich Harkort (1793–1880) founded Mechanische Werkstätten Harkort & Co. in the vacant castle in 1818 with Heinrich Kamp (1786–1853) and with the help of the English technician Edward Thomas, one of the first mechanical engineering companies in the Ruhr area. In addition to steam engines, the factory also produced gas lighting apparatuses. The company was renamed "Harkort, Thomas & Co" in 1824. Nothing remains of the factories today.
Tourism+
A visit to the castle ruins is usually combined with exploring the neighboring half-timbered quarter of Freiheit with its many historically significant houses. Among other things, Friedrich Harkort's residence, which is now used as the city archive, is also located there. An information board in the parking lot near the castle tower provides clear information about "Freiheit Wetter".
Parts of the castle ruins are freely accessible all day, especially a side tower as a popular viewpoint high above Lake Harkortsee. The keep and the remains of the residential building (Palas), however, can only be viewed from the outside and are not accessible to the public.
Image source: www.wehrbauten.de
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://www.zeche.org/
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 51.3893, 7.4003