Hardenstein Castle

Hardenstein Castle (German: Burg Hardenstein) is a ruined castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The remains lie east of Herbede on the Ruhr River, surrounded by mountains, and are not easily accessible. Nearby ruins show that the castle was once part of an important mining centre, probably dating to the Middle Ages; the earliest records, from the 16th century, support this. The castle features in the legend of the Nibelungs.

The castle's association with mining led to a legend that King Goldemar, a dwarf or kobold, dwelled there. One version of the story, recorded by Thomas Keightley in 1850, says that King Goldemar lived with Neveling von Hardenberg at the castle. For three years, he brought the inhabitants good luck until a curious man tried to see his footprints by casting tares and ashes about. Goldemar cut the man up, roasted his body, boiled his head and legs, and ate him. He was gone the next day, vowing through a note that the house would be as unlucky as it had been lucky while he lived there.

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

Hardenstein Castle ranks #4,389 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #334 of the 505 mapped in Germany. Founded 1354, it is older than 57% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 604 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,303 times in the last 60 days, more than 56% of the atlas. 8 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Wuppertal, 19 km away. See how Germany compares in the castle statistics.

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