Hörder Burg

Whispers of history echo within these walls. We stand before Hörder Burg, a castle steeped in Dortmund’s rich tapestry of stories. Hörder Burg has witnessed centuries of triumphs and tribulations. It stands as a silent observer of the ebb and flow of time. The castle’s very stones whisper tales of power struggles and industrial revolutions. Hörder Burg was built in the 12th century as a strategic stronghold by the Counts of Mark. The counts sought to challenge their rivals in Dortmund. The location, near the confluence of the Hörder Bach and the Emscher River, was crucial for controlling the region’s resources. Hörder Burg became a linchpin in their campaign against the city of Dortmund. This conflict culminated in the “Großen Dortmunder Fehde” of 1388-1390, a major feud where Dortmund clashed with an alliance of surrounding towns, including Hörde. In this struggle for dominance, Hörder Burg played a significant role. The castle changed hands and underwent transformations over the centuries. Parts of it were destroyed by fire and subsequently rebuilt. Hörder Burg eventually transitioned from a military fortress to an industrial hub. In 1840, Hermann Diedrich Piepenstock, a manufacturer from Iserlohn, acquired the castle. He established a puddling and rolling mill within its walls. This marked the beginning of Hörde’s transformation into a steel town. Hörder Burg became the epicenter of this industrial revolution. Piepenstock’s Hermannshütte, adjacent to the castle, is considered the cradle of the German steel industry. The Hörder Bergwerks- und Hüttenverein, the first joint-stock company in the Ruhr region’s steel industry, expanded its operations in the vicinity of Hörder Burg. They built a blast furnace plant west of the castle. The Eliasbahn railway transported the molten pig iron produced there to the Hermannshütte for further processing. The enterprise flourished, significantly increasing its workforce by 1906. In that same year, the Hüttenverein merged with Phoenix AG. The blast furnace site was renamed Phoenix-West, and Hermannshütte became Phoenix-Ost, with Hörde’s town center situated between them. Today, Hörder Burg stands as a testament to Dortmund’s industrial heritage. It houses a museum, inviting visitors to delve into its fascinating past. The castle serves as a tangible link between Hörde’s medieval origins and its industrial prominence. Hörder Burg stands proudly, a reminder of a bygone era amidst the modern landscape.