Schloss Burg

The castle above the Wupper was the seat of the counts of Berg from the twelfth century, and the region, the Bergisches Land, takes its name from them. It was slighted in the seventeenth century and lay in ruins for two hundred years until an association rebuilt it between 1890 and 1914 in a romantic reading of the medieval original; the rebuilding is documented as a nineteenth-century interpretation rather than an archaeological restoration. Bombing in 1945 damaged it again and further repair followed. A chairlift climbs from Unterburg in the valley, and the great hall carries a painted frieze of the counts.

What you actually see

• The rebuilt castle - a romantic reconstruction of 1890 to 1914.
• The great hall - a painted frieze of the counts of Berg.
• The chairlift - a lift from Unterburg in the valley below.
• The name origin - the seat that gave the Bergisches Land its name.

When to go

April to October; the chairlift is seasonal and closes in bad weather. The castle keeps shorter winter hours and closes some days.

Honest expectations

Almost everything visible is nineteenth-century rebuilding, not medieval fabric. The chairlift is seasonal. Parking above is limited on weekends.

Nearby

Müngsten bridge lies west; Altenberg is south.