Burg Rauendahl

Burg Rauendahl once stood on the right bank of the Ruhr near Welper, opposite Haus Kliff. The lowland castle served as a stronghold for the Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Westphalia. A Hardenberg lord reputedly used it as a base for raids before Count Eberhard I of the Mark destroyed the fortress in 1287. Archaeologists have found traces of the site when the river level drops. Stonework and the remains of a staircase still appear at low water. In 1803 builders uncovered urns, tools, iron weapons and harness fittings while constructing a coal depot. Carl Arnold Kortum examined and recorded these finds. Today the ruins lie within the grounds of the Henrichshütte ironworks in Hattingen. Visitors can walk past the riverbank and see the exposed masonry when conditions allow. The scattered stones and steps hint at the castle’s former size and shape.