Ludwigstein Castle () is a 15th-century castle overlooking the river

Werra The Werra (), a river in central Germany, is the right-bank headwater of the Weser. "Weser" is a synonym in an old dialect of German. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After the Werra joins the river Fulda in the to ...

and surrounded by woodland. It stands southwest of the town of

Witzenhausen Witzenhausen () is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northeastern Hesse, Germany. It was granted town rights in 1225, and until 1974 was a district seat. The University of Kassel maintains a satellite campus in Witzenhausen, which offer ...

in North

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

. Founded in 1415 the castle's buildings today were built in the 16th and 20th centuries. It was allowed to go to ruin in the late 19th century. After the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the

Wandervogel ''Wandervogel'' (plural: ''Wandervögel''; English: "Wandering Bird") is the name adopted by a popular movement of German youth groups from 1896 to 1933, who protested against industrialization by going to hike in the country and commune with na ...

and

German Youth Movement The German Youth Movement () is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities. The movement included German Scouting and the ...

joined together to save the castle. In 1920 they founded the Jugendburg Ludwigstein Association to buy the structure, renovate it, and erect a memorial to the fifty thousand Wandervogel who had been killed from 1914 to 1918. During the Nazi period, however, the castle became first a training center for the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...

, then a destination for city children evacuated to avoid air raids during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the war it served briefly as a refugee camp. Suppressed in 1941, the Jugendburg Ludwigstein Association was re-founded in 1945, and took renewed possession of the castle in 1946. The castle's youth education centre (''Jugendbildungsstätte'') offers both daily programs and weekend seminars, ranging from ecological topics to music and political education. Also on site are the Archives of the German Youth Movement with their own library and collections of personal papers. The castle is today the main center of the ''Bündische Jugend'' and many German

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

associations. The castle also serves as a hostel with up to 180 beds and different meeting rooms.
* Knud Ahlborn (1888–1977) * Ellen Gregori (1897–1981) *

Eberhard Koebel Eberhard Koebel also Eberhard Köbel, called ''tusk'', i.e., "the German" in the language of the Sámi people he traveled among, (22 June 1907 – 31 August 1955) was a German youth leader, writer, and publisher. Eberhard Koebel was born in Stut ...

(1907–1955) founder of ' Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1.11.1929' * Alexander Lion (1870–1962) founder of first German Scout Organization 'Deutscher Pfadfinderbund' *

Karl Otto Paetel Karl Otto Paetel (23 November 1906 – 4 May 1975) was a German political journalist. During the 1920s, he was a prominent exponent of National Bolshevism. During the 1930s, he became a member of anti-Nazi German resistance. Biography Paetel was ...

(1906–1975) * Gertrud Prellwitz (1869–1942) *

Gustav Wyneken Gustav Wyneken (1875–1964) was a German pedagogue and founder of the Wickersdorf Free School Community. He was also a leader in the German Youth Movement and briefly contributed to school policy during the German revolutionary period after ...

(1875–1964)

Pictures

Image:Ludwigstein.jpg, Ludwigstein today Image:Burg Ludwigstein De Merian Hassiae.jpg, Matthäus Merian's 1655 engraving in ''Topographia Hassiae''

External links

Foundation Jugendburg Ludwigstein

Association Jugendburg Ludwigstein e. V.

Archive of German Youth Movement

Ecucational centre Ludwigstein gGmbH
Scouting and Guiding in Germany Castles in Hesse Buildings and structures in Werra-Meißner-Kreis German Youth Movement Jugendburg {{Germany-castle-stub