Burg Altena

Burg Altena occupies a hilltop above the Lenne valley in the Märkisches Sauerland and dates to the 12th century, when it served as the seat of the counts of Mark, a powerful Westphalian noble family whose territory expanded to include much of the surrounding Sauerland region. The castle passed through periods of expansion and neglect over the following centuries, falling into partial ruin before a major restoration campaign began in the early 20th century under teacher and reserve officer Richard Schirrmann, who in 1912 first proposed converting the castle into overnight lodging for travelling schoolchildren. That proposal led in 1914 to the opening of the world's first permanent youth hostel within the castle walls, a model that Schirrmann subsequently promoted across Germany and which spread internationally, forming the basis of today's Hostelling International network of more than 4,000 hostels worldwide. The castle museum today combines exhibits on medieval Westphalian noble life and the architecture of the counts of Mark's fortress with a dedicated section on the origins and global growth of the youth hostel movement, including original Schirrmann-era artefacts and photographs. Later restoration work in the 20th century stabilised the keep, curtain walls, and residential buildings, and a funicular railway installed to carry visitors up the steep approach remains a popular feature of a visit. The castle's dual identity, as both a medieval fortress and the birthplace of a modern international travel institution, makes it an unusual layering of medieval and 20th-century social history within a single Westphalian hilltop site.