Sparrenburg Castle

You can see it from the centre of Bielefeld: the round tower of Sparrenburg Castle, standing some 60 metres above the old town on the Sparrenberg in the Teutoburg Forest. The Counts of Ravensberg built a castle here before 1250, and in the 16th century it became the largest fortress in Westphalia. Today it is the city's landmark, the grounds are open all year free of charge, and beneath your feet run around 300 metres of old fortress tunnels.

History: from counts' castle to fortress

The castle is first recorded in 1256. It guarded the pass across the Teutoburg Forest and protected the town founded around 1214. Emperor Charles IV spent a night here in 1377. When cannons made the old walls obsolete, Duke John III of Jülich-Cleves-Berg had the castle turned into a fortress with round bastions and casemates from 1535. To fix the weak western corner, the Italian military architect Alessandro Pasqualini was called in in 1556 and designed the "Scherpentiner" bastion. During the Thirty Years' War the fortress changed hands several times; Swedish and Hessian troops besieged the Spanish garrison for almost a year. Afterwards the Great Elector used it as a secondary residence in Westphalia, and two of his children were born here.

In the 18th century the site fell into decay, and stones were carted off and sold. Bielefeld citizens rebuilt the tower as a lookout in 1842/43, and in 1879 the town bought the castle for just 8,934.90 marks, although it had been valued at 70,000. The air raid of 30 September 1944 destroyed almost everything except the tower. Since 2006 archaeologists have made a string of new finds, and in 2014 a visitor centre by the architect Max Dudler was added.

What to see

• The tower: 121 steps lead up; the battlements are 31.5 metres high. The view takes in the whole city and, on clear days, reaches the Wiehengebirge hills.
• The casemates: The one-hour tour leads through dark vaulted passages, dungeons and light shafts. The north-western section stays closed most of the time because bats roost there.
• Bastions: The Kiekstatt, Schuster and Marien round bastions and the "Scherpentiner" form the fortress ring. In 2007 an old gun platform was uncovered on the Kiekstatt bastion, three metres below today's ground.
• The excavations: In the main castle area, the foundations of a building from around 1500 have been exposed.
• The Elector's monument: Fritz Schaper's statue of the Great Elector was unveiled in 1900 in the presence of Emperor Wilhelm II.

Opening hours and prices (as of October 2026)

• Castle grounds: open all year, free; the bridge gate is locked at night.
• Tower and visitor centre: 1 April to 31 October daily 10:00–18:00; 1 November to 31 March Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only, 11:00–18:00. Closed between Christmas and New Year; last tickets at 17:45.
• Tower climb: €3, reduced €2.50, children aged 3 to 13 €2.
• Casemate tour: 1 April to 31 October only, daily at 12:00 and 14:30, plus 16:00 on Sundays and public holidays, maximum 30 people. Adults €9, reduced €6, children €5.
• Combined tower and tour ticket: €11, reduced €7.50, children €6.50.

Casemate tickets are sold at the visitor centre and online (plus a €0.50 fee). Dogs are welcome on the grounds on a lead but not in the tower or the tunnels.

Getting there

The visitor centre is at Am Sparrenberg 40, 33602 Bielefeld. Take the Stadtbahn to "Adenauerplatz" (line 1) or "Landgericht" (lines 1 and 2) and walk up the hill from there. The castle lies on a ridge trail across the Teutoburg Forest and is the finish of the annual Hermannslauf run from the Hermann Monument.

Tripto tip

Allow one to two hours, closer to two with a casemate tour. Tours are limited to 30 people, so book online at weekends. On the last weekend of July, the Sparrenburgfest medieval market takes place below the castle. Fans of the cult comedy "Die Bielefeld-Verschwörung" will recognise the place: scenes were filmed in the casemates in 2009. Afterwards, the Stadtblick Sparrenburg restaurant offers food with a view over the city.