Top 10 Castles around Schwelm

Today it's part of a retirement home. But it's still beautiful to look at.

"Volmarstein was mentioned in the Werden monastery records as early as 1047. The name of the place has developed over the centuries; it refers to the height on the Volme. The place was granted civil rights in 1342 and had had a court of justice under the Counts of Mark since the 15th century. The village of Volmarstein and the castle were destroyed by a large fire in 1754. Only rubble remained of the castle. The residents used the stones from the castle to rebuild their houses. On January 19, 1939, Grundschöttel was incorporated. With the municipal regional reform, the Ennepe-Ruhr district was reorganized on January 1, 1970. The municipality of Volmarstein, located south of the Ruhr, became part of the town of Wetter. Esborn and Wengern, which had belonged to the Volmarstein administrative district, were also incorporated. In 1997, the municipality celebrated its 950th anniversary." https://www.stadtmarketing-wetter.de/die-stadt/volmarstein/#:~:text=Der%20Name%20des%20Ortes%20hat,und%20die%20Burg%201754%20zerst%C3%B6rt.

"On the way up to the Volmarstein castle ruins there are two war memorials (names based on the text on the memorial plaques): + Memorial to the dead of the wars of 1866 and 1870/71 + Memorial to the victims of 1939 to 1945 + Inscription on the front of the base: Volmarstein's brave sons died far from home. Free on the mountains, gratitude, love and loyalty live. + Inscription on the back of the base: In memory of the dead of the wars of 1866 and 1870/71 The memorial with base and sculpture is located below the Volmarstein castle ruins The First World War took place largely outside of Germany. And yet it left deep traces: in families who suffered from the loss of loved ones, in city dwellers who had less and less to eat, in women who suddenly had to do work that had previously been the preserve of their men. It is now just over 100 years since the jubilation about the mobilization began. And only a little later the lamentation over the millions of victims began. Herdecke was able to draw a proud balance sheet for the first Christmas of the war: the community provided 460 soldiers, including 80 volunteers. 17 brave warriors were awarded the EK2. But heavy sacrifices had also been made: 23 brave men had remained in front of the enemy and 53 warriors were reported as wounded. The fallen from Herdecke died in Verdun, on the Somme or in the Argonne Forest, at sea or in the vastness of the East. In October 1928 the memorial was erected on Goethestrasse. And there is also a memorial for the dead of the First World War in Ende and in Wengern and Volmarstein. Name follows name, showing how death has repeatedly gripped individual families: Paul Kötter, 25.5.15, Beau-Puits; August Kötter, June 9, 2017, Field Hospital 407 West; Ewald Kötter, April 5, 2018, Malpart. The new dimension of the war quickly becomes apparent when visiting local memorial sites: There are just a handful of entries that record the dead of the war from the years 1870/71. A single plaque is rarely enough for the fallen of the First World War. In the Second World War, on the other hand, the number of victims will hardly be countable..." https://www.kdwupper.de/denkmale_volmarstein.html

Church is everywhere

The town of Volmarstein is definitely worth a visit, both because of the castle and the beautiful old half-timbered houses.

Nice little village but a lot of car traffic.

Waldstein is still written in large letters on the tower today. Definitely worth a visit, a beautiful old showpiece, unfortunately somewhat spoiled by a concrete extension. It's unbelievable how beautifully people once built and lived! The name Mercklinghaus should be familiar to many Wuppertal residents: Mercklinghausstrasse is in the middle of Langerfeld, named after the family who lived in their Langerfelder Factory distilled schnapps. Friedrich Wilhelm Mercklinghaus in particular was considered He was a committed Langerfelder during his lifetime community leaders and officials Home community. In the second half of the 19th century The manufacturer Richard Mercklinghaus bought it large plots of land on Steinhauser Berg. He acquired the site on which today Hedtberghaus stands, as well as the surrounding forest and meadow plots. The story of the beautiful building begins with the change of ownership. HOUSE WALDSTEIN The now 145 year old villa is located at the Hölkesöhder Bach, Richard left Mercklinghaus as a residence for his family build. The stones for the foundation masonry were made from the rock walls of the Steinhauser Mountain broken for the exposed brickwork Ruhr sandstone was used. After completion in 1878 received the property is called Haus Waldstein; This title still stands today with metal Letters on the outside of the facade. MERCKLINGHAUS CASTLE The villa is in the Wilhelminian style. This can be seen in the playful design of the north tower and the typical ancient and classicist design elements with plaster and stone work. The building soon received given the nickname by the Langerfelders Mercklinghaus Castle. In addition to building the villa, the family left Mercklinghaus to perfect the Create a large park on the property. The highly decorated garden artist was chosen for this purpose Heinrich Siesmayer commissioned. The result was a wildly romantic landscape park. Still Today, huge copper beeches, cypresses, Conifers and exotic trees in the design Siesmayers. Richard Mercklinghaus lived until 1910 retired in his villa. → HENKELS LOCKS Max Henkels, co-partner of the Langerfeld lace factory Henkels with factory locations as far away as the USA, acquired the property in 1912 for 365,000 gold marks. This corresponds to a current value of almost three million euros. It was supposed to be the summer residence of the entire family of the commercial councilor Albert Henkel, a nearby relatives of Max Henkels. As was common at that time, many factory owners had their residential villas on or next to the factory site and their summer homes in the surrounding area. The Henkels family was one of the richest families in Langerfeld in the early 20th century. The Commerce Council had support important to the Langerfeld population: He not only had houses for the unmarried winders of his factory A.&E. Henkels built, but also financed one gym and was committed to the well-being of his community, which at that time still belonged to Schwelm. The building, formerly known as Mercklinghaus Castle, quickly became popularly known as Henkel's Schlösschen. AFTER HENKELS UNTIL TODAY After Max Henkels' death, the castle came into the possession of the city of Wuppertal, which could find neither tenants nor buyers decided to use the building himself. From 1939 to 1943 it was a colonial home for young people from the German colonies. It has been that way for almost 75 years now, since 1949 Municipal retirement home that received a large extension in the late 1970s because the building was no longer sufficient. Incidentally, the name Henkels Schlösschen is just a dialect. The official name of the building is and remains Haus Waldstein today.

From the small park you have a beautiful view of the castle.