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104-757: After 1941, plans were developed to enlarge it to be the so-called "Centre of the World". In 1950, the castle reopened as a museum and youth hostel . (The youth hostel is one of the largest in Germany.) The castle today hosts the Historical Museum of the Prince Bishopric of Paderborn and the Wewelsburg 1933–1945 Memorial Museum. Predecessor buildings existed. One of these, the Wifilisburg,

208-517: A receptionist or in housekeeping . There are approximately 10,000 hostels in Europe and approximately 300 hostels in the United States. In 2023, the hostel industry worldwide was estimated to be worth US$ 6 billion annually, and growing. The typical guest is between 16 and 34 years old, although it can vary depending on the country. In addition to shared kitchen facilities, some hostels have

312-455: A 13.5% share of lodging guests/nights in 2007. Guests are advised to be respectful of others: In August 1909, Richard Schirrmann , a teacher in Germany, first published his idea of inexpensive accommodation for youth travel after leading a school camping trip that was derailed by a thunderstorm. Schirrmann received considerable support and opened a makeshift hostel for hikers in the school in which he taught. On June 1, 1912, Schirrmann opened

416-463: A defender of the liberty of his people. Based on these records, the story of Arminius was revived in the 16th century with the recovery of the histories of Tacitus, who wrote in his Annales II, 88 : Arminius, without doubt Germania's liberator, who challenged the Roman people not in its beginnings like other kings and leaders, but in the peak of its empire; in battles with changing success, undefeated in

520-531: A kind of Nordic academy. There is some speculation that it was Karl Maria Wiligut who convinced Himmler to use the castle not only as a school but also as a cult site; Wiligut allegedly was inspired by the old Westphalian legend of the "Battle at the Birch Tree" ( Schlacht am Birkenbaum ). The saga tells about a future "last battle at the birch tree", in which a "huge army from the East" is beaten decisively by

624-580: A lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared bathrooms. Private rooms may also be available. Hostels are popular forms of lodging for backpackers , however very few impose age limits, so hostels are an option for travellers of all ages and styles. The benefits of hostels include lower costs and opportunities to meet people from different places, find travel partners, and share travel experiences. Some hostels, such as in India or Hostelling International , cater to

728-656: A major tourist attraction ever since, as has the Hermann Heights Monument , a similar statue erected in New Ulm, Minnesota , in the United States in 1897. The Hermann Heights monument was erected by the Sons of Hermann , a fraternal organization formed in New York City by German Americans as a means of self protection against anti-German sentiment and discrimination in 1840; and that flourished during

832-454: A narrow road through a dense forest. Recent archaeological finds show the long-debated location of the three-day battle was almost certainly near Kalkriese Hill, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of present-day Osnabrück . When defeat was certain, Varus committed suicide by falling upon his sword. The battle was one of the most devastating defeats Rome suffered in its history. Arminius' success in destroying three entire legions and driving

936-599: A niche market of travelers. Different hostels can be known for offering different experiences. For example, one hostel might feature in-house social gatherings such as movie nights or communal dinners, another might feature local tours, one might be known for its parties, and another might have a quieter place to relax in serenity, or be located on the beach. Newer hostels focus on a more trendy design, some of which are on par with boutique hotels . Some may cater to older digital nomads , global nomads , and perpetual travelers who prefer slightly more upmarket private rooms or

1040-406: A quieter atmosphere. Hostels may also differentiate themselves by being environmentally friendly ecohostels. In countries where wages are lower, the cost of staying at a hostel may be similar to staying in a budget hotel. Many hostels are locally owned and operated, and are usually cheaper than hotels. Hostels may offer long-term lodging to guests for free or at a discount in exchange for work as

1144-654: A restaurant and/or bar. Washing machines and clothes dryers are often provided for an additional fee. Hostels sometimes provide luggage storage. Most hostels offer lockers for safely storing valuables. Some hostels do not provide linens. Some hostels may have a curfew and daytime lockouts. In some cities, hostels reported a higher average income per room than hotels. For example, in Honolulu , Hawaii , upscale hotels reported average daily room rates of $ 173 in 2006, while hostel rooms brought in as much as $ 200 per night, for rooms of eight guests paying $ 25 each. Even during

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1248-650: A sense of guilt and shame, rooted in both the Holocaust and Nazi war crimes , related to any form of German nationalism . There was, however, a radically different practice in East Germany . Particularly during the Cold War , Arminius and his warriors were anachronistically reinterpreted quite similarly to the slave revolt led by Spartacus in the Marxist-Leninist official history promoted by

1352-480: A son named Thumelicus who grew up in Roman captivity. Tacitus describes him as having an unusual story, which he promises to tell in his later writings, but these writings have never been found. Between 14 and 16, Germanicus led punitive operations into Germany, fighting Arminius to a draw in the Battle at Pontes Longi and twice defeating him (according to Tacitus): first in the Battle of Idistaviso and later at

1456-647: A spear shaft with an access to the Rhynern – Kassel Reichsautobahn (freeway) to the south. The plan from 1944 shows the castle as the top of a triangular estate surrounded by further buildings. The plans also included a "Hall of the High Court of the SS" ( Saal des Hohen Gerichtes der SS ), streets, parkways, magnificent buildings, a dam with a power plant, freeway accesses and an airport. From 1941 on, (after Hitler's successful military campaigns against Poland and France)

1560-572: A triumph for his two victories. The third Roman eagle was recovered in 41 by Publius Gabinius, under the emperor Claudius . Arminius also faced opposition from his father-in-law and other pro-Roman Germanic leaders. His brother Flavus, who had been raised alongside him in Rome, remained loyal to the Roman Empire and fought under Germanicus against Arminius at the Battle of Idistaviso. With the end of

1664-422: A vault after the model of Mycenaean domed tombs was hewn into the rock, possibly to serve as some kind of commemoration of the dead. The room is unfinished. The floor was lowered 4.80 meters. The foundation of the tower was firmed with concrete, and a gas pipe leading to the centre was embedded, suggesting that an eternal flame was probably planned for the centre of this space. Twelve pedestals were placed around

1768-596: Is near what was then believed to be the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest of 9 CE. The Wewelsburg was taken several times during the Thirty Years' War . In 1646, it was occupied and then razed by Swedish troops, by the army commanded by General Carl Gustav Wrangel . After 1650, the mostly destroyed castle was rebuilt by Prince-Bishop Theodor Adolf von der Recke and his successor Ferdinand von Fürstenberg . He carried out some architectural changes;

1872-478: Is unknown. Himmler's plans included making it the "center of the new world" (" Zentrum der neuen Welt ") following the "final victory". The monumental estate was never realized; only detailed plans and models exist. The installation of a 15 to 18-meter-high wall in the shape of a three-quarter circle with 18 towers including the actual castle area centred on the North Tower of the castle, 860 m in diameter,

1976-778: The Balkan peninsula . He returned to northern Germania in AD 7 or 8, where the Roman Empire had established secure control of the territories just east of the Rhine , along the Lippe and Main rivers, and was now seeking to extend its hegemony eastward to the Weser and Elbe rivers, under Publius Quinctilius Varus , a high-ranking administrative official appointed by Augustus as governor. Arminius began plotting to unite various Germanic tribes in order to thwart Roman efforts to incorporate their lands into

2080-525: The Battle of the Angrivarian Wall . In 15, Roman troops managed to recapture one of the three legionary eagles lost in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. In 16, a second eagle was retrieved. Tiberius denied the request of Germanicus to launch an additional campaign for 17, however, having decided the frontier with Germania would stand at the Rhine river. Instead, he offered Germanicus the honor of

2184-459: The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, in which three Roman legions under the command of general and governor Publius Quinctilius Varus were destroyed. His victory at Teutoburg Forest precipitated the Roman Empire 's permanent strategic withdrawal and the decolonisation of Germania Magna , and modern historians regard it as one of Imperial Rome's greatest defeats. As it prevented

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2288-549: The Great Illyrian Revolt , he was sent to Germania to aid the local governor Publius Quinctilius Varus in completing the Roman conquest of the Germanic tribes. While in this capacity, Arminius secretly plotted a Germanic revolt against Roman rule, which culminated in the ambush and destruction of three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest. In the aftermath of the battle, Arminius fought retaliatory invasions by

2392-650: The Reichshaus der SS-Gruppenführer (Reich-House of the SS-Gruppenführer). In 1938, Himmler ordered the return of all death's head rings (German: Totenkopfringe ) of dead SS-men and officers. They were to be stored in a chest in the castle. This was to symbolize the ongoing membership of the deceased in the SS-Order. The whereabouts of the approximately 11,500 rings after the Second World War

2496-764: The Roman Catholic Church . During the military occupation of the German States, first by the French Revolutionary Army and then by the French Imperial Army of Napoleon Bonaparte , Hermann der Cheruskerfürst once again became a national icon and a martyr within both German Romanticism and the anti-Colonialist romantic nationalism fueled by the Napoleonic Wars , which are still termed in Germany

2600-607: The Romanization of Germanic peoples east of the Rhine , it has also been considered one of the most decisive battles in history and a turning point in human history . Born a prince of the Cherusci tribe, Arminius was part of the Roman-friendly faction of the tribe. He learned Latin and served in the Roman military, which gained him Roman citizenship , and the rank of eques . After serving with distinction in

2704-706: The Wars of Liberation . This may particularly be seen as in Caspar David Friedrich 's 1812 painting The Tombs of the Old Heroes . During the unification of Germany in the 19th century, Arminius was hailed as a symbol of German unity and liberation. In 1808, Heinrich von Kleist wrote the play Die Hermannsschlacht , but with Napoleon's victory at Wagram it remained in manuscript, being published in 1821 and not staged until 1860. The play has been revived repeatedly at moments of national crisis and

2808-518: The financial crisis of 2007–2008 , many hostels reported increased occupancy numbers at a time when hotel bookings were down. A 2013 study in Australia showed that youth travel was the fastest-growing travel demographic and that the hostel industry was growing at a faster rate than the hotel industry. It showed that youth travel can lead to higher overall spending due to longer trips than traditional vacations. In New Zealand, backpackers hostels had

2912-696: The name Hermann dates from the 16th century, possibly first by Martin Luther . In German, Arminius was traditionally distinguished as Hermann der Cherusker ("Hermann the Cheruscan") or Hermann der Cheruskerfürst ("Hermann the Cheruscan Prince"). Hermann etymologically means "Man of War", coming from the Old High German heri meaning "war" and man meaning "person" or "man". This has also led to his English nickname "Herman

3016-526: The "Club for the preservation of the Wewelsburg" ( Verein zur Erhaltung der Wewelsburg ). After 1925, the renovation activities decreased. In 1932, the local head of the district authority ( Landrat ) ordered about seventy members of the Freiwilliger Arbeitsdienst (FAD), (voluntary labour service), to be housed at the Wewelsburg. They were unemployed and supported by the state as Notstandsarbeiter (literally: "crisis workers"). Through

3120-464: The "General SS" (" Allgemeine SS "), the police and the "Armed SS" (" Waffen SS "). Also working at the castle were proponents of a kind of SS esotericism consisting of Germanic mysticism, an ancestor cult, worship of runes , and racial doctrines. Himmler, for example, adapted the idea of the Grail to create a heathen mystery for the SS. No proof exists that Himmler wanted a Grail castle, but redesign of

3224-450: The "West". During 1935, Wiligut reportedly predicted to Himmler that the Wewelsburg would be the "bastion". Himmler expected a big conflict between Asia and Europe. Knobelsdorf led the "SS School, House Wewelsburg". But very quickly the focus of activity shifted away from schooling the SS leadership in a broad set of ideological fields to something much narrower. In fact, work concentrated more on conducting basic pseudo-scientific research in

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3328-456: The 18th and 19th centuries, the castle fell progressively into ruin. In 1802, during German mediatisation , the castle came into the possession of the Prussian state. On 11 January 1815, the North Tower was gutted by a fire that was started by a lightning strike; only the outer walls remained. From 1832 to 1934, a rectory existed in the eastern part of the south wing of the castle. In 1924,

3432-436: The 1930s increasing measures were taken to transform the castle into an isolated central meeting place for the highest ranking SS-officers. For financing the project, Himmler founded in 1936 the "Gesellschaft zur Förderung und Pflege deutscher Kulturdenkmäler e.V." (Association for the advancement and maintenance of German cultural relics (registered association)) and assigned the association as building developer. In contrast to

3536-475: The 1990s, the ornament has been called the " Black Sun " occasionally. It is not known if the SS had a special name for the ornament nor if they attributed a special meaning to it. Possibly the sun wheel had a relation to the Germanic light- and sun-mysticism which was propagated by the SS. Today, it is used as a symbol in Neo-Nazism and in a variety of subcultures. However, the ornament has only been linked to

3640-600: The 19th century in American cities and rural areas with large populations speaking the German language in the United States . Hermann, Missouri , a town on the Missouri River founded in the 1830s and incorporated in 1845, was also named for Arminius. Following the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, Arminius became lesser-known among West Germans and the educational system shied away from teaching about his life due to

3744-586: The German." Born in 18 or 17 BC in Germania , Arminius was the son of the Cheruscan chief Segimerus (German: Segimer ; Proto-Germanic: Sigimariz ; Old English: Sigemær ), who was allied with Rome. Arminius learned to speak Latin and joined the Roman military with his younger brother Flavus . He served in the Roman army between AD 1 and 6, and received a military education as well as Roman citizenship and

3848-518: The Germanic leader into a reimagining of the twelfth chapter of Lucian 's satirical Dialogues of the Dead ; a debate between Alexander the Great , Hannibal , and Scipio Africanus before the underworld judgment seat of Minos over who most deserves the position of history's greatest general and military strategist. Arminius argues his own claim and calls upon Tacitus to bear witness, and ultimately wins

3952-540: The Gnitaheidr—today the suburb Knetterheide of the city of Bad Salzuflen , located at a strategic site on the Werre river which could very well have been the point of departure of Varus' legions on their way to their doom in the Teutoburg Forest. One of the foremost Scandinavian scholars of the 19th century, Guðbrandur Vigfússon , identified Sigurd as Arminius. This educated guess was also picked up by Otto Höfler , who

4056-618: The Great Recession, the industry grew rapidly in New York City, Rome, Buenos Aires, and Miami. Following a 2010 New York State law 55 hostels in New York City closed, leaving about five which operated as hotels. Arminius Arminius ( / ɑːr ˈ m ɪ n i ə s / ; 18/17 BC–AD 21) was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe who is best known for commanding an alliance of Germanic tribes at

4160-482: The National Socialist worldview in the village of Wewelsburg (directed by Walter Franzius). This latter activity included such work as renovation of a timbered house in the center of the village of Wewelsburg – the " Ottens Hof " – between 1935 and 1937 for use as a village community center. Franzius also undertook various other architectural tasks. The castle crew consisted of members of all SS branches,

4264-696: The Rhine could be supplied from the Mediterranean Sea via the Rhône , Saône , and Mosel , with only a brief area of portage. Armies on the Elbe, however, would have to have been supplied by extensive overland routes or by ships travelling the hazardous Atlantic. Economically, the Rhine already had towns and sizable villages at the time of the Gallic conquest. The Rhine was significantly more accessible from Rome and better equipped to supply sizable garrisons than

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4368-401: The Roman Empire to a standstill at the peak of its power. During the unification of Germany in the 19th century, Arminius was hailed by German nationalists as a symbol of German unity and freedom. Following World War II , however, Arminius' significance diminished in Germany due to the rise of anti-militarism , pacifism , and anti-nationalism ; the 2,000th anniversary of his victory at

4472-474: The Roman Empire. The Romans made no further concerted efforts to conquer and permanently hold Germania beyond the Rhine and the Agri Decumates . Numerous modern historians have regarded Arminius' victory as one of the most decisive battles in history, with some calling it "Rome's greatest defeat". In the accounts of his Roman enemies, Arminius is highly regarded for his military leadership and as

4576-614: The Roman general Germanicus in the battles of Pontes Longi , Idistaviso , and the Angrivarian Wall , and deposed a rival, the Marcomanni king Maroboduus . Germanic nobles, afraid of Arminius's growing power, assassinated him in 21. He was remembered in Germanic legends for generations afterwards. The Roman historian Tacitus designated Arminius as the liberator of the Germanic tribes and commended him for having fought

4680-534: The Roman threat, a war broke out between Arminius and Marbod , king of the Marcomanni . It ended with Marbod fleeing to Ravenna and Roman protection, but Arminius failed to break into the "natural fortification" of Bohemia , and the war ended in stalemate. In 19, Germanicus died in Antioch under circumstances which led many to believe he had been poisoned by his opponents. Arminius died two years later in 21, murdered by opponents within his own tribe who felt that he

4784-638: The Romans out of Germany marked a high point of Germanic power for centuries. Roman attempts to reconquer Germania failed, although they did eventually manage to break Arminius' carefully coordinated alliance. After the battle, the Germans quickly annihilated every trace of Roman presence east of the Rhine. Roman settlements such as the Waldgirmes Forum were abandoned. The vastly outnumbered Roman garrison of Aliso (present-day Haltern am See ), under

4888-506: The SS created guest rooms, a dining room, an auditorium, a canteen kitchen, and a photographic laboratory with an archive. Oak was used to panel and furnish these rooms, though (according to contemporary witnesses) only sparingly. All interior decoration was shaped by an SS sensibility in art and culture; the preferred elements of design were based on runes, swastikas , and Germanically interpreted Sinnzeichen (sense characters). Tableware, decorated with runes and Germanic symbols of salvation,

4992-743: The SS leadership and would be run by the Rasseamt of the SS. Negotiations were difficult, however, since the Landrat of Büren was unwilling to give up control of the castle. In the first half of 1934, a 100-year lease was agreed for the symbolic annual rent of ℛℳ   1. Initial work on the school by the FAD had started in January 1934. That August, Manfred von Knobelsdorf, a brother-in-law of Walther Darré and former professional soldier, moved in with his family as Burghauptmann . Himmler officially took over

5096-495: The SS operation in the Soviet Union or who were intended to be used for the operation, were called up by Himmler. Concrete decisions were not made. The meeting's purpose was the ideological preparation of the attendant SS leaders for the campaign. Another source mentions three or four ceremonies a year of SS leaders which took place at the castle. Towards the end of the war, Himmler ordered that Wewelsburg Castle should become

5200-557: The SS, the association was allowed to receive donations and loans. Until 1943, the project cost 15 million  ℛ︁ℳ︁ . On 6 November 1935, Himmler forbade visiting the castle without express permission. In 1939, he further forbade publishing anything about the castle. After the Freiwilliger Arbeitsdienst (the "FAD", "Voluntary Labour Service") ceased work on Wewelsburg, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (the "RAD", "Reich Labour Service") carried out modifications to

5304-514: The Second World War is unclear. Swearing-in ceremonies were planned at the castle. Meetings of SS- Gruppenführer (equivalent to lieutenant-generals) at so called "spring conferences" were planned since 1939. Some talks probably took place at Wewelsburg Castle; the only documented Gruppenführers' meeting was held from 12 to 15 June 1941 – one week before the beginning of Operation Barbarossa . The highest ranking SS-officers, who planned

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5408-543: The State; as an early socialist revolution and as revolutionary terror against the "Roman slaveholder society"( Sklavenhaltergesellschaft ). The legacy of Arminius and his followers was further reinterpreted as symbolic of the allegedly "peace-loving" Warsaw Pact countries, while Imperial Rome was made into a symbol of the capitalist and allegedly Fascistic United States and the NATO military alliance , which were cast as

5512-440: The Teutoburg Forest was only lightly commemorated in Germany. The etymology of the Latin name Arminius is unknown, and confusion is further created by recent scholars who alternately referred to him as Armenus . In his History , Marcus Velleius Paterculus calls him "Arminius, the son of Sigimer, a prince of the nation" and states he "attained the dignity of equestrian rank ". Due to Roman naming conventions of

5616-407: The Weser river, between the towns of Kalefeld and Bad Gandersheim . In the early 19th century, attempts were made to show that the story of Arminius and his victory may have lived on in the Old Norse sagas , in the form of the dragon slayer Sigurd of the Völsunga saga and the Nibelungenlied (Under his Germanic name Siegfried). An Icelandic account states that Sigurd "slew the dragon" in

5720-644: The Wewelsburg in a large ceremony on 22 September 1934. The Völkischer Beobachter , in reporting on the event, while mentioning the Germanic and historic past of the region, emphasized the educational aspects. In 1935, Himmler announced that the SS-castle was to be officially called "SS-Schule Haus Wewelsburg" ("SS School, House Wewelsburg"). The focus of the school was to become: " Germanische Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Volkstumskunde u. a. als Rüstzeug zur weltanschaulich-politischen Schulung " (i.e. "Germanic pre- and early history, folklore studies, etc. as an equipment for ideological-political training"). Knobelsdorff envisioned

5824-420: The Wewelsburg. This took place on Saturday 31 March only three days before the 83rd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Armored Division seized the grounds after reports from a nearby Bürgermeister that "SS men had set fire to their barracks in the castle, changed into civilian clothes and fled." Because Macher's company ran out of explosives, they placed tank mines only in the unimportant southeast tower,

5928-400: The World" ( Mittelpunkt der Welt ). A preparation for an eternal flame in the vault, a swastika ornament in its zenith, and the so-called " Black Sun " symbol embedded in the floor of the "Obergruppenführersaal" lie on this axis. Although both rooms appear to have a ceremonial purpose, nothing is known about if, or how, the rooms were ever used. Where a primary cistern was originally located,

6032-448: The aesthetics of National Socialism). The first commandant of the castle ( Burghauptmann von Wewelsburg ), from August 1934, was Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) Manfred von Knobelsdorff. He was partial to Karl Maria Wiligut's religious theories. The opinion of other SS-scientists about Wiligut were absolutely negative. Obersturmbannfuhrer von Knobelsdorff was succeeded by Siegfried Taubert on 30 January 1938. Because Taubert

6136-425: The architects called the complex the "Center of the World". It was to be finished within twenty years. The complex was to be a center of the "species-appropriate religion" ( artgemäße Religion ) and a representative estate for the SS-Führerkorps (SS leader corps). If the plans had been realized, the entire village of Wewelsburg and adjacent villages would have disappeared. The population was to be resettled. The valley

6240-488: The capture of Thusnelda and did not marry again. Tacitus recorded that Arminius was "driven to frenzy" by the loss of his beloved wife. Tacitus states in the Annals : Arminius, with his naturally furious temper, was driven to frenzy by the seizure of his wife and the foredooming to slavery of his wife's unborn child. He flew hither and thither among the Cherusci, demanding "war against Segestes, war against Cæsar." And he refrained not from taunts. Thusnelda gave birth to

6344-399: The case and the eloquent praise of Minos. This version influenced later adaptations of the story, and reflected a wide interest in Arminius during the years of the German Reformation ; the name Arminius was interpreted as reflecting the name Hermann by Martin Luther , who saw Arminius as a symbol of his religious followers among the German people and their resistance to the Papacy and

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6448-409: The castle became the property of the district of Büren and was changed into a cultural center. By 1925, the castle had been renovated into a local museum, banquet hall, restaurant and youth hostel . At the end of the Twenties, the North Tower again proved to be the weak point of the architecture, and had to be supported by guy wires in winter 1932/33; the preservation of the castle was supported by

6552-450: The castle by the SS referred to certain characters in the legends of the Grail: for example, one of the arranged study rooms was named Gral (" Grail "), and others, König Artus (" King Arthur "), König Heinrich ("King Henry", referring to Henry the Fowler to whom Himmler claimed a connection), Heinrich der Löwe (" Henry the Lion "), Widukind , Christoph Kolumbus (" Christopher Columbus "), Arier ("Aryan"), Jahrlauf ("course of

6656-405: The castle. The western and southern wings of the castle were rebuilt between 1934 and 1938; the eastern, between 1936 and 1938. The first new building, the guardhouse ( Wachgebäude ), was constructed next to the castle in 1937. An SS sentry post and a small circular location ( Rondell ) were placed next to the guardhouse, as was a no longer extant SS staff building ( SS-Stabsgebäude ). The North Tower

6760-400: The castle; but in 1938, the RAD was relocated to the " Westwall " ( Siegfried Line ). Between 1939 and 1943, prisoners from the Sachsenhausen and Niederhagen concentration camps were used as labourers to perform much of the construction work on Wewelsburg, under the design of architect Hermann Bartels . However, by a decree of 13 January 1943, all building projects which were unimportant for

6864-455: The command of Lucius Nonius Asprenas , were stationed in Moguntiacum . Arminius saw this as the perfect opportunity to defeat Varus. In the autumn of AD 9, the 25-year-old Arminius brought to Varus a false report of rebellion in northern Germany. He persuaded Varus to divert the three legions under his command (composed of the 17th , 18th , and 19th legions , plus three cavalry detachments and six cohorts of auxiliaries), which were at

6968-419: The command of the prefect Lucius Cedicius, inflicted heavy losses on the Germans before retreating into Gaul , resisting long enough for Lucius Nonius Asprenas to organize the Roman defense on the Rhine and Tiberius to arrive with a new army. This prevented Arminius from crossing the Rhine and invading Gaul. At some point after the battle, Arminius married a Germanic princess named Thusnelda . Her father

7072-442: The empire. This proved a difficult task, as the tribes were strongly independent and many were traditionally enemies of each other. Between AD 6 and 9, the Romans were forced to move eight of the eleven legions present in Germania east of the Rhine to crush a rebellion in the Balkans , leaving Varus with only three legions to face the Germans, which was still 18,000 troops, or 6,000 men per legion. An additional two legions, under

7176-531: The entire corps of the SS-Gruppenführer . This room was only planned. In order to realize the hall the upper half of the tower was dismantled in winter 1941/42. When the "final victory" failed to materialize, the castle commander (or Burghauptmann ), SS General Siegfried Taubert, fled on 30 March 1945 as the U.S. 3rd Armored Division closed in on the Paderborn area in the final phases of the war. Meanwhile, at his headquarters in Brenzlau, Himmler ordered adjutant SS Major Heinz Macher , with 15 of his men, to destroy

7280-418: The esoteric neo-Nazi concept of the Black Sun after 1991. The Latin inscription above the entrance " Domus mea domus orationis vocabitur " ("My house shall be called a house of prayer") reminds of the prince-episcopalian chapel which was originally located on the ground floor of the tower. The upper floors were to be completed as a multi-storied hall with a big dome. It was to be a prestigious meeting hall for

7384-406: The fields of Germanic pre- and early history, medieval history, folklore and genealogy ( Sippenforschung ), all intended to provide the underpinnings for the racial teachings of the SS. A scientific library was established. But even the first plans by Bartels from early 1934 did not show any large-scale class rooms, only smaller cell-like rooms for individual study. Among those active at the Wewelsburg

7488-963: The first hostel in Altena Castle . The original hostel rooms are now a museum. Schirrmann served in World War I and after observing the Christmas truce on the Western Front in December 1915, he wondered whether "thoughtful young people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other". In 1919, he founded the German Youth Hostel Association . By 1932, Germany had more than 2,000 hostels recording more than 4.5 million overnights annually. The International Youth Hostel Federation (now Hostelling International )

7592-467: The guard-building and the SS-cadre-building which was completely destroyed. The castle was set on fire and – according to information of the village citizens – the castle was open to looting. Youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed , usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of

7696-599: The hill, the Bürensches Haus and the Waldecksches Haus . From 1301 to 1589, the prince-bishops of Paderborn assigned the estate to various liege lords . The masonry of both predecessor buildings was integrated in the current triangular Renaissance castle. In its current form, the Wewelsburg was built from 1603 to 1609 as secondary residence for the prince-bishops of Paderborn, at that time Dietrich von Fürstenberg  [ de ] . Its location

7800-406: The new evil empire needing to be resisted. According to journalist David Crossland: "The old nationalism has been replaced by an easy-going patriotism that mainly manifests itself at sporting events like the soccer World Cup ." The German Bundesliga football club DSC Arminia Bielefeld is named after Arminius. In the German diaspora , on the other hand, the 2,000-year anniversary of the battle

7904-473: The perimeter, each with a wall niche above it; the purpose is unknown. On the ground floor the Obergruppenführersaal (literally translated: Upper-Group-Leaders-Hall, referring to the original twelve highest ranking SS-generals, called Obergruppenführer ), a hall with twelve columns joined by a groined vault, twelve window- and door-niches and eight longitudinal windows was created. The room

8008-467: The powerful Suebi , etc. Only when indirect methods proved insufficient to control the Germanic tribes beyond the Rhine, did Roman emperors occasionally lead devastating punitive campaigns deep into Germania. One of them, led by the Roman emperor Maximinus Thrax , resulted in a Roman victory in 235 at the Battle at the Harzhorn Hill , located in the modern German state of Lower Saxony , east of

8112-514: The regions beyond. Rome chose no longer to rule directly in Germania east of the Rhine and north of the Danube , instead preferring to exert indirect influence through the tactics of using divide and rule and the appointing of client kings , which were cheaper than military campaigns. Italicus , nephew of Arminius, was appointed king of the Cherusci; Vangio and Sido became vassal princes of

8216-736: The rent, the district of Büren thus hoped to recoup some of the running costs of the castle. However, in early 1933, negotiations to set up a full-sized camp for 214 FAD participants failed. Prior to the Nazi party taking power, Heinrich Himmler , as Reichsführer-SS , had decided that the SS should have a retreat at a castle "in the heartland of Hermann der Cherusker" ( Armin the Cheruscian ). Initially, Himmler showed an interest in Burg Schwalenberg  [ de ] , but negotiations failed in early 1933; he then visited Wewelsburg, at

8320-669: The seasons"), Runen (" runes "), Westfalen (" Westphalia "), Deutscher Orden (" Teutonic Order "), Reichsführerzimmer ("Room of the Empire's Leader(s)"; " Reichsführer-SS ", or "the Reich's Leader of the SS" was Himmler's title), Fridericus (probably in reference to Frederick II of Prussia ), tolle Christian ("Christian the Great", probably referring to Christian the Younger of Brunswick, Bishop of Halberstadt ), and Deutsche Sprache ("German language"). In addition to these study rooms,

8424-460: The status of equite before returning to Germania. These experiences gave him knowledge of Roman politics and military tactics, which allowed him to successfully anticipate enemy battle maneuvers during his later campaigns against the Roman army. Around the year AD 4, Arminius assumed command of a Cheruscan detachment of Roman auxiliary forces, probably while fighting in the Pannonian wars on

8528-431: The suggestion of a local Nazi leader, Adolf von Oeynhausen  [ de ] (1877-1953). Reichsführer-SS Himmler decided to buy or lease the castle on his first visit on 3 November 1933. His architect, Hermann Bartels , was able to draw on existing plans for the FAD camp, for the now envisaged Reichsführerschule SS (SS Leadership School). This school was mainly intended to ensure a unified ideological training of

8632-460: The three towers of the castle got their baroque domes. From 1589 to 1821, the castle was the place of residence of a bursary officer (or steward ). Two witch trials took place in the Wewelsburg in 1631 (a former inquisition room is placed in the basement next to the east tower). During the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the basement rooms were probably used as a military prison. During

8736-528: The time marching to winter quarters, to suppress the rebellion. Varus and his legions marched right into the trap that Arminius had set for them near Kalkriese . Arminius' tribe, the Cherusci , and their allies the Marsi , Chatti , Bructeri , Chauci , and Sicambri (five out of at least fifty Germanic tribes at the time) ambushed and annihilated Varus' entire army, totaling over 20,000 men, as it marched along

8840-460: The time, it is likely Arminius is an adopted name granted to him upon citizenship or in any case not his Germanic name . The name instead appears to ultimately be of Etruscan origin, appearing as armne and armni on inscriptions found at Volaterrae . According to another theory, that name was given to Arminius for his service in Armenia. The German translation of Arminius as

8944-515: The war – including the Wewelsburg – had to be stopped. In 1938, after Reichskristallnacht , 17 Jews from Salzkotten , ten kilometers (about six miles) distant, were held in the dungeon of the Wewelsburg before transportation to the Buchenwald concentration camp . In the middle of the 1930s, Himmler had a private safe mounted in the basement of the west tower. Only the commandant of the castle knew about it. The whereabouts of its content after

9048-447: The war. Arminius was not the only reason for Rome's change of policy towards Germania. Politics also played a factor; emperors found they could rarely trust a large army to a potential rival, though Augustus had enough loyal family members to wage his wars. Also, Augustus, in his 40-year reign, had annexed many territories still at the beginning of the process of Romanization. Tiberius, who succeeded Augustus in AD 14, decided that Germania

9152-628: The world's first superpowers. Indeed, learning of his victory over the Roman army was especially important to German Renaissance humanists , as the Renaissance only reached the Holy Roman Empire much later than southern Europe and German humanists were widely looked down upon by their Italian colleagues. The first literary adaptation of the Arminius story came in 1520 with Ulrich von Hutten 's Latin dialogue Arminius , which inserts

9256-507: Was Wilhelm Teudt . Wewelsburg Castle was also a centre for archaeological excavations in the region. Fields of activity included study of prehistory and ancient history (directed by Wilhelm Jordan, who led excavations in the region), study of medieval history and folklife (directed by Karlernst Lasch from March 1935), build-up of the "Library of the Schutzstaffel in Wewelsburg" (directed by Dr. Hans Peter des Coudres), and strengthening

9360-417: Was a far less developed land, possessing few villages and only a small food surplus, and therefore was not currently important to Rome. Conquering Germania would require a commitment too burdensome for the imperial finances and an excessive expenditure of military force. Modern scholars have pointed out that the Rhine was a more practical boundary for the Roman Empire than any other river in Germania. Armies on

9464-479: Was a prominent Nazi academic during World War II . After Tacitus' Annals were rediscovered by Renaissance humanists and first published during the Gutenberg Revolution of the 15th century, Arminius became an important symbol of German national identity , as a figure who successfully opposed colonialism and prevented the Romanization of his people by outgeneraling and defeating one of

9568-465: Was a proponent of hostels and was president for several years. During World War II , many hostels in Europe were temporarily shut down or placed under the control of the Hitler Youth . In the 1960s and 1970s, hostelling prospered. The industry declined during the 1970s energy crisis . Hostels continued to grow during the financial crisis of 2007–2008 , in part due to their cost appeal. After

9672-484: Was almost finished; the rebuilding work stopped in 1943. Assumedly it was to serve as a representative hall for the SS-Obergruppenführer. In the centre of the marbled whitish/grayish floor a dark green sun wheel ( Sonnenrad ) is embedded. The axis of the sun wheel consisted of a circular plate of pure gold, which was to symbolize the center of the castle and thus the entire "Germanic world empire". Since

9776-404: Was becoming too powerful. Tiberius allegedly had refused an earlier offer from a Chatti nobleman to poison Arminius: "It was not by secret treachery but openly and by arms that the people of Rome avenged themselves on their enemies." Arminius' victory against the Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest had a far-reaching effect on the subsequent history of both the ancient Germanic peoples and on

9880-479: Was consigned to various other tasks he was absent from the castle for longer periods. So-called "SS-marriage-consecrations" ( SS-Eheweihen ) took place at the castle. Since 1936, Himmler (who was often present at the castle) wanted more and more to expand the Wewelsburg to be a representative and ideological center of the SS Order. Consequently, although at first planned to be an educational training center, during

9984-600: Was defended during the 9th and 10th centuries against the Hungarians. Count Friedrich (Arnsberg)  [ de ] built another predecessor fortification. In 1123/24, after his death, peasants whom he had oppressed demolished the building. In 1301, the Count of Waldeck sold the Wewelsburg to the Prince-Bishop of Paderborn. A document concerning this acquisition indicates that two fortresslike buildings stood on

10088-675: Was especially used as propaganda in Nazi Germany . In 1838, construction was started on a massive statue of Arminius, known as the Hermannsdenkmal , on a hill near Detmold in the Teutoburg Forest; it was finally completed and dedicated during the early years of the Second German Empire in the wake of the German victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. The monument has been

10192-462: Was founded in October 1932. It is now an organization composed of more than 90 hostel associations representing over 4,500 hostels in over 80 countries. These hostels cater more to school-aged children, sometimes through school trips, and families with school-aged children. In 1936, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the honorary president of AYH (now Hostelling International USA ). John D. Rockefeller III

10296-420: Was manufactured specifically for Wewelsburg Castle, and Himmler's private collection of weapons was housed in the castle. In 1934, the eastern castle bridge was built and the castle moat lowered. The exterior plaster was removed to make the building look more castle-like. The following year, a smithy was established on the ground floor of the North Tower for manufacture of the wrought-iron interior decoration of

10400-492: Was planned. The real purpose of the project was never clearly defined. Inside of this castle area, buildings were planned for the exclusive purposes of the Reichsführung-SS (Reich Leadership-SS). The main road of an SS village was also to be centred on the North Tower of the castle with a diameter of 1270 m. This road was to be connected with three radial roads and gates with the castle area. The residential area

10504-429: Was strengthened and rebuilt between 1938 and 1943. From 1939, the castle was also furnished with miscellaneous objects of art, including prehistoric objects (chiefly arranged by the teaching and research group Das Ahnenerbe ), objects of past historical eras, and works of contemporary sculptors and painters (mainly works by such artists as Karl Diebitsch , Wolfgang Willrich , and Hans Lohbeck – that is, art in line with

10608-425: Was the Cheruscan prince Segestes , who was pro-Roman. But Arminius abducted and then impregnated Thusnelda circa AD 14. This elopement was likely a result of a dispute between Arminius and Segestes who was against their relationship. In May of 15 the Roman general Germanicus captured Thusnelda. At the point of her capture she was pregnant and living with her father, who had taken her back. Arminius deeply grieved

10712-451: Was to be flooded. 250 million Reichsmark were budgeted for the estate. Inside the North Tower, two mythologic designed rooms were created (1938–1943): The Obergruppenführersaal (SS Generals' Hall) and the Gruft (vault). Their ceilings were cast in concrete and faced with natural stone. On the upper floors a further hall was planned. The axis of this tower was to be the actual "Center of

10816-459: Was to be placed in the northwest, the centre of the village in the north, and the SS-barracks in the west of the castle area; between the barracks and village a villa colony for higher SS-leaders; in the southwest farmsteads. In the architectural plans from 1941, the estate had the shape of a spear pointing towards the north; the 2 km long access avenue with four tree rows road looks like

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