Altena Castle

Altena Castle (Burg Altena) is a medieval hill castle above the town of Altena in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with origins in the early 12th century. The site is notable both for its medieval structures and for hosting the first organised youth hostel in 1914.

Visitors can walk the castle ramparts, see the restored keep and interpretive exhibitions covering the castle’s medieval history, and use the on-site youth hostel and visitor facilities. The castle sits prominently above the Lenne valley and provides panoramic views of the surrounding Sauerland hills.

The fortress was founded in the early 1100s by the regional noble families who controlled trade and routes through the Lenne valley. Over the medieval and early modern periods the site was rebuilt and adapted; in the 20th century it gained new use as the site of the first youth hostel and as a local museum.

The castle crowns a rocky spur directly above Altena town in the Märkischer Kreis, in the Sauerland region of western Germany, roughly within driving distance of the Ruhr area and about 40 km from the Dortmund metropolitan area.

• Age and siting: The original castle dates to the early 12th century and sits on a rocky spur above the town of Altena.
• Youth hostel founding: The youth hostel established at the castle in 1914 by Richard Schirrmann is recognised as the founding site of the international youth hostel movement.

What to See #

• Castle keep: A preserved medieval tower and curtain-wall remains form the highest point and offer views across the Lenne valley. The tower dates to the original 12th-century castle core.
• Youth hostel: An on-site youth hostel founded in 1914 established the castle as the location of the world's first organised youth hostel movement and still offers accommodation and visitor facilities.
• Castle museum: Exhibition rooms in the castle present medieval history of the site and the surrounding Märkischer Kreis; displays cover the Counts who founded the castle and local regional history.