Burg Wildshausen

Burg Wildshausen stands in the Hochsauerlandkreis near Arnsberg, a ruined motte-and-bailey castle once belonging to the counts of Arnsberg. The site began as a farm mentioned in a 1249 deed, later held by the Edelherren von Ardey. By the mid-13th century small buildings appeared, but the place served mainly as a hunting seat rather than a fortress. The castle passed to the archbishops of Cologne in 1368 and briefly became a widow’s residence for Anna of Cleves. After her death it returned to Cologne and was leased to local nobles, including the Padberg family whose feuds ended in murder. By the late 16th century the estate was granted to a forester and captain, Wolf Dietrich von Geisberg. Today the raised mound still rises three to four metres above the surrounding fields. A broad water-filled ditch encircles the main site on three sides, while a second outer ditch marks the outer limits. An information board explains the layout of the vanished wooden tower and scattered outbuildings. Visitors walk over grassy earthworks and view the quiet water-filled moats that once defended the small hunting lodge.