Wewelsburg Castle

Wewelsburg is a triangular Weser Renaissance castle near Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia, and a place with a difficult history. Built as a residence of the prince-bishops of Paderborn, it was chosen by Heinrich Himmler as an ideological center for the SS. Today it houses a regional history museum and a memorial and exhibition on the SS, making it one of the most significant sites in Germany for understanding Nazi ideology and terror.

Why it matters

The present building dates from 1603 to 1609, when Prince-Bishop Dietrich von Fürstenberg had it built. From 1933 Himmler planned to turn the castle into a central gathering place for the SS, and in 1941 the SS set up the Niederhagen concentration camp to provide forced labor for the project. More than 3,900 prisoners were deported there, and at least 1,229 people died on site. U.S. soldiers liberated the prisoners on April 2, 1945, after an SS demolition squad tried to destroy the castle.

What to see

• Memorial and exhibition "Ideology and Terror of the SS": free to enter, reopened in a new form in 2010.
• North Tower: the crypt ("Gruft") and the "Obergruppenführersaal" are the only surviving rooms from the Nazi building plans.
• History museum of the Paderborn prince-bishopric: regional history, a herb garden and a dungeon.
• The castle itself: the moat, courtyard and towers look best in autumn.

Audio guides are available (check which languages when you buy your ticket). Public guided tours for adults cost 3 EUR per person, and guided tours for groups can be booked in English for 50 EUR. Allow 2 to 3 hours.

Tickets and hours (as of October 2026)

Open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Closed on Mondays, December 24, 25 and 31, and January 1. The memorial exhibition is free; the history museum costs 3 EUR for adults (1.50 EUR reduced, family 6 EUR).

Getting there

The village of Wewelsburg is in the town of Büren, south of Paderborn; the address is Burgwall 19, 33142 Büren-Wewelsburg. The express bus S61 runs regularly from Paderborn main station (direction airport) to the stop "Schule" in Wewelsburg. By car, there is parking at the castle, which can fill up on weekends, plus a lot at the village hall about a 10-minute walk away.

Good to know

Both exhibitions are largely accessible with help from staff, apart from the dungeon, a cellar room and the crypt. There is an elevator and an accessible toilet. Dogs are not allowed in the exhibition rooms. The memorial deals with SS crimes, so consider whether the content is suitable for younger children.