Burg Blankenstein in Germany
Rating: 7,7/10 (6212 votes) 
Blankenstein Castle is located in the federal state of North Rhine — Westphalia, in the town of Hattingen, in the area of the same name Blankenstein. The castle, as usual, is built on a hill 70 meters high and rises above the Ruhr River and its valley. The history of this the castle is very rich. At the beginning of the 13th century, these lands were seized by Count Adolph I von Mark. To protect his territories from attacks, he builds a castle right on a bare rock (hence the name of the castle, literally translated as `` Pure Stone ''). The location was very suitable as it offered an excellent view of the surroundings and the river crossing. Already towards the end of the 13th century, Count Engelbert I von Mark carried out an expansion and some fortification of Blankenstein Castle. A semicircular tower of Count Engelbert with a gate is being built, and the castle is overgrown with a small settlement, whose streets by the way still exist. Despite the active work on the arrangement of the castle, its construction by the 15th century was still not completed. Much was done by Duke Adolph I von Cleve, who equipped the castle with three powerful towers, including the quadrangular central tower that has survived to this day. The castle was often used as a military base during numerous European wars, and as a result it collapsed almost completely, becoming unusable. This place got a new lease of life in 1860, when the castle was acquired by the merchant Gustav von Stein to set up a yarn factory. The castle began to attract tourist attention, which prompted the owner to organize a medieval-style restaurant in its eastern part. By the beginning of the 20th century, completely new buildings appeared on the ruins of the old building. In 1971, the central tower was restored and an observation deck was opened at its top. However, most of the castle remains in ruins.   We also recommend reading Freiburg Munster in Germany Topic: Burg Blankenstein in Germany. |
