Sparrenburg Bielefeld

The exact construction date of the Sparrenburg is uncertain, it was first mentioned in 1256. The castle probably got its name from the coat of arms of the Counts of Ravensberg. This coat of arms, which can be traced back to the 12th century, shows three red chevrons on a silver background.
The Counts of Ravensberg made the castle the administrative center. It served as the seat of the bailiff for the Sparrenberg office, the steward for the County of Ravensberg and as the residence of the sovereign and his entourage. The Sparrenburg also served military purposes. On the one hand it secured the pass through the Teutoburg Forest, on the other hand it protected the newly founded city of Bielefeld. The appearance of the medieval castle differed significantly from today's appearance.
The exact dimensions of the castle are not known and can no longer be recognized due to the many conversions and expansions over the centuries. However, it should have been at most an irregular rectangle about 45 m wide and 100 m long. On the gate side, access was secured by a neck ditch and a drawbridge. A shield wall, in the middle of which stood the tower, divided the complex into a bailey and a main bailey. While the outer bailey contained the stables, military buildings and workshops, the main bailey contained the Palas, the residential and representative building facing the city.
Expansion into a fortified fortress
In the 15th century, weapon technology continued to develop with the technical improvement of cannons. The beginning dominance of firearms in warfare made it necessary to expand the Sparrenburg into a fortress. The four circular towers were gradually built and then connected to each other with corridors, the casemates.
The castle experienced numerous family and occupation changes. The Great Elector had the complex, which had suffered greatly during the Thirty Years' War, restored as a fortress and residential building.
decay and reconstruction
After the death of the Great Elector in 1688, the Sparrenburg lost its military importance. She began to deteriorate over the years. Between 1743 and 1877 the castle was used as an office building and prison. In 1775 the castle finally fell into ruin when Frederick the Great ordered the stones from the outer walls to be removed in order to build the 55 barracks on Hans-Sachs-Strasse, which are still preserved today.
In the middle of the 19th century, in the course of the so-called castle romanticism, the Sparrenburg was rediscovered, now not as a military object, but as a historical monument. With the help of monetary donations, the reconstruction of the dilapidated tower, which is 37 meters high today, began in 1842.
landmark of the city
In 1879, the city of Bielefeld acquired the castle complex from the Prussian state. The official property value was set at 70,000 marks, but the purchase only cost the use value of 8,934.90 marks, which was determined with Prussian precision. Since then, the Sparrenburg has been the city's landmark and a popular destination for Bielefeld and its visitors.
In the inner courtyard is the monument to the great Elector, which Kaiser Wilhelm II, as the last Count of Ravensberg, donated to the city and ceremoniously unveiled in the summer of 1900. During the Second World War, the Sparrenburg was used again and for the last time for military purposes. After the most necessary clearing and securing work, the castle was opened to visitors again in May 1949.
www.sparrenburg.info
Filmed in May 2022
Music:
Epidemic Sound
In Abundance - Edgar Hopp

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