The castle Hardenstein is a ruin at the middle Ruhr northwest of Herbede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is surrounded by the homonymous nature reserve Hardenstein and is located near the mother valley.
The moated castle was built between 1345 and 1354.
In the 16th century still inhabited, were near the former castle for many years coal deposits. Only since the 18th century, after it had been abandoned, the plant fell into disrepair.
In 1974, the castle was leased by the city of Herbede, from 1975 by the city of Witten.
The castle ruin has been researched, maintained and maintained since 1974 by the association Burgfreunde Hardenstein. Archives of the castle ruins Hardenstein and an archaeological collection of them are in the ♁Grundschule Witten-Herbede and can be visited there.
Immediately behind the southern enclosure wall starts the mining trail Muttental; on the north side runs the route of the RuhrtalBahn museum railway, which separates the castle complex from the Ruhr. Here is also a breakpoint set up.
Since April 2006, the Ruhrtal ferry Hardenstein operates near the ruins. As the only ferry on the Ruhr, it is a special attraction in the cycling network of the Ruhr Valley. This connection, which ends on the opposite shore near the Herbede Lock, is operated by fifteen volunteers and one full-time skipper. The excursion ship MS Schwalbe II of Stadtwerke Witten also operates on the same feeder. In this way, a link between the excursion ship and the museum train has been created here.
Weather conditions and non-timely security measures ensure that the plant continues to deteriorate, among other things collapsed in the night of 16 March 2010, an intermediate wall of the main castle. The renovation / restoration of the collapse-prone wall areas has been completed. The castle ruin is again accessible to visitors.
(Source: Wikipedia)