Homburg Castle & Bensberg CastlePrincely Forays

Mountains and valleys, regional history and a course menu: Two landmarks of the Bergisches Land are the regional history Homburg Castle Museum and the magnificent Bensberg Castle. Located directly on hiking routes such as the Panoramasteig, the Bergische Streifzügen or the Klangpfad, they invite you to discover the region at the gates of the Rhineland in terms of landscape, history and cuisine.

Versailles and Winchester Castle were the inspiration when Elector Johann Wilhelm II commissioned the construction of the prestigious Bensberg hunting lodge in 1703. Like the lord of the castle himself and later Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, for example, guests are still enchanted by the view of the cathedral city of Cologne from the Bensberg mountain terrace. Before the 5-star superior Althoff Grandhotel was opened in the castle grounds in 2000, the buildings served as a military hospital, cadet centre and boarding school, among other things. Today, after a hike around the castle, visitors spend the night in comfortable suites instead of dormitories and have the fabulous choice of two bars and three restaurants in the castle, including the most highly decorated gourmet kitchen in North Rhine-Westphalia with two Michelin stars by celebrity chef Joachim Wissler

Homburg Castle in Nümbrecht, which was probably built by the Counts of Sayn in the 13th century as a hilltop castle and later remodelled and extended into a baroque castle, has also been restored several times. Today it houses the Oberberg District Museum with an extensive cultural history and natural history exhibition. The 19th century flour mill and the historic museum bakery form a separate museum unit. Its half-timbered building originally comes from Wiehl and was rebuilt within the castle grounds.

Speaking of half-timbered houses. The Bergisches Land is known for its "triad" of black half-timbered beams, white timber framing and green shutters. Many of these old houses have been preserved in the region and still define the image of entire villages and neighbourhoods today. One of the most beautiful historic town centres is Solingen-Gräfrath with around 120 historic monuments and the German Blade Museum above the town centre. After all, Solingen is still the centre of the German cutlery industry and is officially known as the city of blades. The old towns of Hückeswagen, Bergneustadt and Remscheid-Lennep are just as enchanting as the tranquil town of Gräfrath. Altenberg Cathedral in the idyllic Dhünn valley, which has been awarded the European Heritage Label, is another special gem in the Bergisches Land region. At 144 square metres, its west window depicting the Heavenly Jerusalem is the largest church window north of the Alps.