Wendelstein Castle

The origins of Wendelstein Castle date back to the Middle Ages. Its first documentary mention is from 1294. It was founded and militarily equipped under Abbot Heinrich IV of Fulda to protect the strategically important Werra bridge. The castle was an integral part of the town's fortifications and served as its northeastern bulwark. From 1406, the castle was permanently pledged to the Hessian Landgrave Hermann II and subsequently served as a Hessian administrative seat. Although it survived the great town fire of 1467, it lost military significance during the Thirty Years' War. From 1648 to 1816, the castle belonged to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel and then to the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In the 19th century, some of its buildings housed a spinning factory.