Burg Bentheim

Bentheim Castle (German: Burg Bentheim) is an early medieval hill castle in Bad Bentheim, Lower Saxony, Germany. The castle is first mentioned in the 11th century under the name binithem.

The castle is built on a protrusion of Bentheim sandstone, which not only provided building materials for the castle itself but was also a valued export product. This Bentheimer Höhenrücken is the last protrusion of the nearby Teutoburger forest. Its elevated position in an otherwise very flat landscape provides an excellent view and thus a strategic location to build a castle.

The earliest history of the castle, which was erected on the remains of an earlier refuge castle is largely unknown. In the registries of Werden Abbey (1050) the castle is mentioned, as Binedheim, in and contributes grain, honey and 2 solidi. A document from 1020 names Otto von Northeim as the owner of the castle. In 1116, the castle is completely destroyed in the war between Herzog Lothar von Süpplinburg, better known as Lothar III and Heinrich V. The Annalista Saxo describes how Lothar "lays siege to Binithem, a fine and strong city and burned it after it was conquered". The epithet "strong" (firmam) suggests the castle played a vital role in the city’s defences, though it is assumed it was a wooden structure, and not yet a stone one.

The castle is soon rebuilt and this time in stone by Otto von Salm, brother in law of the victorious Lothar III, whose wife Gertrud von Northeim uses it as a residence. In 1050 she is mentioned as comitissa de Benetheim, which is the first documented member of the Counts of Bentheim.

In 1146 a war erupted between Otto von Rheineck and the Bishop of Utrecht concerning the jurisdiction over Twente and Otto and his knights were defeated near Ootmarsum and the castle became a fee of the Diocese of Utrecht and the Bishop claimed the palace and the chapel for his personal use until 1190. Otto's son and only heir, Otto II von Salm-Rheineck tried to recapture the castle but fell into the hands of Hermann von Stahleck in 1148. He spent some time as a prisoner in Schönburg near Oberwesel and was strangled the next year. To the bishops of Münster and Utrecht the independent county remained a thorn in the side, and most notably in 1374 both launched attacks upon the castle.

Otto's daughter, Sophie von Salm-Rheineck inherited the castle.

Text adapted from “Bentheim Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Burg Bentheim ranks #1,658 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #121 of the 492 mapped in Germany. Founded 1020, it is older than 92% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 317 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 3,887 times in the last 60 days, more than 80% of the atlas. The nearest day-trip guide is Enschede, 20 km away. See how Germany compares in the castle statistics.

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