Adler- und Wolfspark Kasselburg, Wildlife park at castle grounds in Pelm, Germany

The Adler- und Wolfspark Kasselburg is a 20-hectare wildlife park around the ruined Kasselburg, a 12th-century castle whose 25-metre keep visitors can climb. Birds of prey such as golden eagles, falcons, kites and vultures are kept in aviaries in the former castle courtyard, and wolves live in two large enclosures in the surrounding forest, including the Wolfsschlucht ravine.

Kasselburg was built in the 12th century and served over the centuries as a border fortress and customs post. During the Thirty Years' War it was destroyed in the 17th century. In the 1970s the Freiherr von Landenberg family restored the ruin, which now houses the bird-of-prey aviaries in its former 12th-century courtyard. Its 25-metre tower can be climbed.

The park's name comes from the Kasselburg and its two animal groups. Falconer Josef Braun founded it in the 1970s, starting with birds of prey and later adding wolves. Today it also runs a breeding station for endangered species such as the imperial eagle and monk vulture, and serves as a state reception and care station for injured birds of prey, some of which arrive as nestlings and are released again after up to four months of care.

Visitors can explore the park on foot, with paths through wooded areas and several viewing points where you can stop and rest. Sturdy shoes and weather protection are helpful since the ground is sometimes hilly and conditions can change quickly.

The wolf enclosure lies in the Wolfsschlucht ravine in the woods around the castle and holds the largest captive wolf pack in Western Europe. The pack is fed once a day, and the park keeps Timber and Polar wolves in two separate large enclosures.