Burg Borghausen

Burg Borghausen stands on a 60-metre-high rock spur called Breiter Hagen, part of the Attendorn-Elsper Doppelmulde near Attendorn. The ruins rise above the steep slopes that drop down to the Lenne and Repe valleys. A nature reserve protects the cliffs and the surrounding woodland. Below the crag lies the former estate of Borghausen, now marked only by the old sewage works. The site’s origins go back to a Bronze-Age enclosure found 350 metres south-south-east of the castle. The castle itself was probably built in the 12th century and later enlarged by the lords of Bamenohl. In 1632 Hessian-Swedish troops stormed the stronghold during the Thirty Years War and left it in ruins. The Vogt von Elspe family lived there until the end of the 18th century, after which the Plettenbergs inherited the property. Traces of a northern tower and several cellar rooms survive on the narrow ridge. Visitors climb the rock through a hollow way that rises from the Repe valley to the outer rampart. From the rampart the path follows the crest to the ruined tower foundations. Below, the remains of a three-metre-high curtain wall run beside the old bed of the Lenne. Ivy and brambles cover much of the masonry, and the wind carries the scent of wild thyme across the crag.