Klusenstein is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

Hemer Hemer () is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Hemer is located at the north end of the Sauerland near the Ruhr (river), Ruhr river. The highest elevation, at , is in the ''Balver Wald'' in t ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, located on a 60m high cliff above the valley of the

Hönne The Hönne () is a left tributary river to the Ruhr, flowing through the northern Sauerland hills in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The spring of the Hönne is located in the west of Neuenrade at 437m above sea level. After 33 km the rive ...

river. The castle was built in 1353 as a boundary fortification of the earldom Mark.

History

The castle was built in 1353 by Gerhard of Plettenberg, a vassal of earl Engelbrecht III of the Mark. Levold of Northof (1279-1359?), the chronicler of earl Engelbrecht, wrote :''In denseluen jair, als die vurs. Greue Engelbrecht auer Meer reysden, beghan Gerit van Plettenbrecht in afwesen des Greuen dat Slot ind Stat to nyenraide in Suderlande to tymmeren ind oick Slot ten Cluysensteyn.'' which translates to :In the year when Earl Engelbrecht was traveling beyond the sea, Gerit of Plettenberg in the absence of his earl began to build the castle and town of

Neuenrade Neuenrade () is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the hills of the Sauerland in the ''Märkischer Kreis''. Geography The highest elevation in the town area is the ''Kohlberg'' with an altitude of 514 m above sea level. The low ...

in the

Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of the States of Germany, German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. ...

, as well as the castle of Klusenstein. The castle formed the boundary fortification of the earldom Mark to the bishopric state of Cologne and the earldom Arnsberg. All three territories met at the Hönne river valley, the castle was also overlooking an old road crossing the valley. During the feud between earl Engelbert and Gottfried IV of Arnsberg, the castle was under siege in 1366 but did not fall. When the last Earl of Arnsberg, Gottfried IV, sold the earldom to the

bishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne ...

, the castle lost its importance. Until the 17th century, the family of Werminghausen owned the castle. During the 30 years war (1618–48) both Swedish and Hessian troops stayed in the castle. In 1695 the Brabeck family bought the castle and sold it in 1812 to the Löbbecke family. In 1904 it was sold to the Hoesch company, and now belongs to the company Rheinkalk. For the 650th anniversary in 2003 the castle and the adjoining buildings were renovated.

Etymology

The origin of the name ''Klusenstein'' isn't fully known. While the second part ''stein'' simply means ''rock'', the word ''Kluse'' may either refer to a rift in the rock, or alternatively from the dialect word for hermitage.

Location

The castle is located on a 60m high cliff over the Hönne river valley, at around the narrowest part of the valley. At the bottom of the rock is a small cave in total 51m long. One corridor bends upward, but about 30m below the plateau it is blocked by stones. There were legends about a secret escape route out of the castle, in 2003 the top entrance to the cave was found below the eastern palais destroyed in 1840. Below the castle is a mill named ''Klusenstein mill'', though it did not belong to the castle. Since 1912 the railway connecting

Balve Balve () is a town in the Märkischer Kreis district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in ''Hönnetal'', a narrow valley created by the river Hönne, which is near the Sorpe Dam, formerly part of Balve, and at the north end of the S ...

and

Menden Menden (, official name: ''Menden (Sauerland)''; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Mennen'') is a city in the district Märkischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the north end of the Sauerland near the Ruhr (rive ...

runs directly below the castle.

References

*''650 Jahre Burg Klusenstein''. Heimatbund Märkischer Kreis. {{Coord, 51, 22, 51, N, 7, 51, 03, E, region:DE-NW_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1353 Castles in North Rhine-Westphalia Hill castles Buildings and structures in Märkischer Kreis County of Mark Hemer