Rüdenburg Arnsberg

Rüdenburg Arnsberg is a medieval spur castle positioned on a 303-meter high hill called Römberg and surrounded by a ring wall approximately 300 meters long. The ruins still show preserved sections of the original defensive walls, the foundations of a main tower, and remnants of a castle chapel.

Count Bernhard II von Werl built the fortress between 1050 and 1062 as a strategic control point for trade routes connecting the Rhine region to Arnsberg. The castle became the seat of the Rüdenberg family and remained an important power center in the region for centuries.

The chapel within the complex held religious services for the noble family and the surrounding community. It served as a spiritual center that connected the castle residents to their faith and local traditions.

The site is accessible via a hiking trail from central Arnsberg leading up to the hilltop, which typically takes about 30 minutes depending on fitness level. Sturdy footwear is recommended as the path becomes steep and the ruins at the summit can be explored freely without railings or barriers.

The castle was divided by a cross wall into two separate sections, with the western area containing a main tower measuring roughly 9.5 by 8.3 meters. This division was common in medieval fortifications and allowed the inhabitants to control and defend different parts of the structure independently.