Falkenburg Castle (Ruin) (Berlebeck)

The Falkenburg ruin is located in the southeastern part of the Teutoburg Forest (called Lippe Forest) in the Teutoburg Forest / Eggegebirge Nature Park, about one kilometer south-southeast of Johannaberg, a southern locality of the southern Detmold district of Berlebeck. It is located approximately 1.7 kilometers as the crow flies north-northeast of the Gauseköte (see below) on a high neighboring hill of the Stemberg, which is 700 meters to the northeast, and which are connected by a saddle with a minimum height of about meters with a forest path turn-off. About 5.5 kilometers southeast of the ruin, in the Silberbach valley, lies the interface to the southward-facing Eggegebirge.

The construction of the Falkenburg, of which only a ruin remains today, was initiated between 1190 and 1194 by Bernhard II and his son Hermann II, noble lords of Lippe.

In 1405, ownership passed to Count Simon III of Lippe. During the Everstein Feud (1403–1407), Duke Heinrich I of Braunschweig was held captive in the castle for a longer period. In the mid-15th century, a fire destroyed the already large complex, which consisted of a main castle and an outer bailey. Under Princess Pauline zur Lippe, parts of the castle were used to expand the Gauseköte, and the residents of Berlebeck also used many stones from the castle to build the foundations of their houses. The ruin is now owned by Stephan zur Lippe, a direct descendant of the builders. At the end of 2004, the Förderverein Die Falkenburg e.V. was founded on private initiative to preserve and restore the castle, and archaeological excavations have been taking place at the ruin since 2005.

In contrast to other castles, the Falkenburg is not to be rebuilt; only the existing masonry is to be preserved and secured for future generations. In addition, after the completion of the excavations, historical events and concerts are planned to make the cradle of Lippe history tangible.

The Falkenburg, which is a protected archaeological monument, has been worked on by an archaeological excavation team since April 2005. Already in the first half-year of the excavations, during which the entire hill cone was removed by two and a half meters, masonry protruding from the ground, measuring 2.50 to 2.80 meters, was brought to light. In addition, parts of a medieval chapel (including an altar stone) were excavated. Furthermore, the keep is to be renovated and statically secured so that it can be walked on again. An observation platform is to be built at a height of around four meters. Since the excavated masonry is unstable after centuries in the ground and can collapse, visiting the excavation site is only permitted under the guidance of the excavation team or the Förderverein, which offers guided tours on its homepage.

The Falkenburg ruin can be reached from Landesstraße 937, which leads from the Detmold district of Berlebeck in the north, past its locality Johannaberg, over the Gauseköte pass to Oesterholz, a northern district of Schlangen in the south-southwest. From the Landhaus Hirschprung, located on this road in Johannaberg, forest and hiking trails lead southeast – initially asphalted – past the Forsthaus Hirschprung to the hill of the ruin, reached after about 1.5 kilometers.

Currently (2011), free access is prohibited due to archaeological investigations and extensive renovation.