Burg Werth

Burg Werth once stood on an island in the Issel river near Isselburg, its earthworks still rising above the flat landscape. The only visible remains are the old gatehouse that once guarded the bridge approach and now houses a small cultural centre. A Catholic church, St Peter and Paul, occupies the site of the main stronghold, its nave running north–south because it was built on the castle’s foundations.

The fortress grew from a medieval motte into a stone keep with walls more than three metres thick at ground level. Records describe it as well defended, with a deep dungeon and machicolations for dropping stones. Over the centuries it passed through many hands—from the von der Leckes to the Counts of Waldeck, then to the Bishop of Münster—changing faiths and allegiances along the way. Spanish troops occupied it for fifteen years after the town turned Protestant, and later it was partly rebuilt before being demolished in the 18th century.

Today the raised platform of the inner ward is marked by paving stones that trace the vanished walls. A rebuilt well stands in the former courtyard, and the gatehouse’s restored rooms display medieval tools and documents. From the church steps you can look across the Issel to the low-lying meadows where the river once formed a frontier between bishoprics and armies.