What to See in Hattingen - Top Sights and Attractions

Historical landmark in Hattingen, Germany. Blankenstein Castle is a castle located on the south side of the river Ruhr in Hattingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

May 12, 1226 Adolf I, Count of the Mark, gave the order to build the castle. He charged Truchsess Ludolf von Bönen with its construction, beginning in 1227. The castle was ready in 1243, but further developed over the course of 200 years by the Counts of the Mark. By 1425, Blankenstein was one of the most important castles in the county. In 1614, shortly before the Thirty Years' War, it was occupied by Spanish troops. From 1637, the castle fell into disrepair so that, in September 1662, Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg ordered its demolition. Only the tower and parts of the curtain wall remained.

In 1860, the owner of the ruin, the employer, Gustav vom Stein, began to rebuild the castle and established a factory there. The property has belonged to the city of Bochum since 1922, but the town is looking for an alternative due to the costs. From 1957 to 1959, most of the buildings of the 19th century were pulled down, but some still remain.

The tower can still be visited and offers a good view over Bochum and the Kemnader Lake.^[1]

Haus Kemnade is a moated castle in the Blankenstein district of Hattingen. Its name - derived from the word "Kemenate" - shows that the noble residence stood out from the surrounding farmhouses at that time by at least one brick chimney.

Until 1486, the estate was located on the northern bank of the Ruhr on Stiepel's local territory. After a flood in that year, however, the river changed its course in a northerly direction, so that Haus Kemnade has since been located separately from the village in the southern Ruhrauen. For a long time it was only accessible via a ferry connection before today's Kemnade Bridge was built in 1928.

As a fief of the House of Lippe, it had been in the possession of the von Dücker family since the 13th century. They were followed by the von der Recke family as feudatories. After a fire in 1589, the owners had it gradually rebuilt until 1704. At the end of the 18th century a farmyard was added.

Although located on Hattingen territory, Haus Kemnade is now the property of the city of Bochum, which acquired it from Ludwig von Berswordt-Wallrabe in 1921. The complex is home to several museums and a restaurant.

The Bismarck Tower Hattingen is an observation tower in the south of the city of Hattingen on the Schulenberg. The construction of the Bismarck Tower was decided by the council of the town of Hattingen in 1899. The impetus was a donation of one thousand marks from the merchant Robert Hill.

The foundation stone was laid on July 17, 1900, and on Bismarck's birthday on April 1, 1901, the tower made of Ruhr sandstone was inaugurated. The tower had been planned by architect Christoph Epping with a height of 16 meters, but for cost reasons it was only built with a height of 11 meters. Another planned floor was omitted. The entrance is spanned by a hall construction.

The tower offers a view over the old town of Hattingen, Winz-Baak and the Ruhr valley. Further away, the office towers of Essen's city center can be seen.

In the spring of 2004, damage to the tower occurred due to vandalism. The structure was renovated until the fall of 2007. The entrance was secured by a steel lattice door. The key for the structure could be borrowed in the nearby restaurant Die Neue Schulenburg against a deposit or presentation of the identity card.

The renovation, privately financed with € 9,000, has been completed since April 2017 and the tower is open again to interested parties.