Hörde Castle

Hörder Castle, also known as Hörde, located in today's Dortmund district of Hörde, was built in the 12th century as a moated castle in the immediate vicinity of the Emscher river. It is the ancestral seat of the noble family Hörde. Not far from the castle, at the confluence of the Emscher and Hörder Bach, was an economically significant grain mill.

Hörder Castle and with it the ministerialis Albert I von Hörde are first mentioned in a document by Emperor Otto IV (HRR) in favor of Corvey Abbey. The historically significant castle tower, which still stands today, dates from this period.

At the end of the 13th century, the castle passed into the possession of the Counts of the Mark. They further expanded the castle, which later served as their stronghold in the Great Dortmund Feud. During the feud, Konrad von der Mark granted town rights to the village of Hörde in 1340. In 1614, at the end of the Jülich-Cleves War of Succession, the castle fell to Brandenburg-Prussia in the Treaty of Xanten.

The Amt Hörde, formed in the 15th century, and the seat of the Eichlinghofen court were established at Hörder Castle.

During the Thirty Years' War, Hörder Castle was first occupied by Spanish, then by Brandenburgian, and later by the troops of Wolfgang Wilhelm (Palatinate-Neuburg). However, all of them were driven out. But during the occupation of the castle by French troops in 1673, a fire broke out in the castle, partially destroying the castle, the castle chapel, and 38 houses in Hörde. Later, the castle was rebuilt on its old foundations. In 2000, during renovation work, the old masonry of the castle tower was uncovered.

In 1840, the Iserlohn manufacturer Hermann Diedrich Piepenstock acquired Hörder Castle. On the site, he established a puddling and rolling mill. The Hermannshütte, named after him, became the first joint-stock company in the Ruhr area's metallurgical industry in 1852 under the name Hörder Bergwerks- und Hütten-Verein. The Hörder Bergwerks- und Hüttenverein later merged with Hoesch AG.

An outer bailey was built between 1920 and 1922 in the Historicist style and served as the administrative building of the steelworks.

After the decline of the steel industry at Phoenix-Ost and the dismantling of the steelworks, a comprehensive renovation of the castle began in June 2008. In this context, archaeological excavations took place in front of the castle. A new wooden spire was erected on the castle tower. On Heritage Day, September 14, 2008, the building was the focus of Dortmund's events and could be visited.

After the completion of the excavations in 2009, the numerous finds and some relics of the "Hoesch era" were exhibited on the ground floor of the castle building.

The former Hoesch administration building with its extensions is listed as an architectural monument, and the traces of the medieval castle are registered as an archaeological monument in the monument list of the city of Dortmund.

In the immediate vicinity of Hörder Castle, Phoenix Lake was created, which was flooded on October 1, 2010, as part of a large festival. The association for the promotion of local heritage, e.V. Hörde, has established a museum in Hörder Castle. Here, the history of Hörde from the Middle Ages to the present day is documented.