Regional history museum in Altena Castle with weapons, armor and decorative arts – free admission (pay what you want).
November 9, 2025 – October 31, 2026
The exhibition traces how in 1875 twelve citizens began collecting for a local heritage museum, and shows the museum's path to Burg Altena, including ‘Burg 2000’; with a reconstructed Biedermeier room.
The museum traces its origins to 1875, when the “Museum für die Orts- und Heimatkunde” (Museum of Local and Regional History) was founded in the Süderland area – the oldest regional history museum in Westphalia. In 1879 it moved into its own building about 300 meters below the castle. Its early founding secured valuable evidence from the Middle Ages and the early modern period for the collection, before large-scale industrialization destroyed much of it.
District administrator (Landrat) Fritz Thomée had Altena Castle rebuilt from 1907 onward, following romanticized ideas of the Middle Ages; by 1914 it stood in new splendor above the town. In 1916 the museum moved into the castle and became the Museum der Grafschaft Mark. To fill the many rooms, the holdings were greatly expanded: defensive and hunting weapons, armor, sacred art, ceramics, pewter, glass and porcelain, period furniture, rural tools, as well as prints and paintings.
Over the following decades several more museums were set up in the castle; by 1994 there were eight collections, including the Weltjugendherberge (the world's first youth hostel) and the Deutsches Drahtmuseum (German Wire Museum). The presentation has since been reorganized. The permanent exhibition now traces the story from the medieval Grafschaft Mark to the industrial and regional history of the Märkischer Kreis; the first youth hostel in the world, opened here in 1914, has survived in its original state.
Admission is free.
| Groups | –Booked guided tours are paid to the guides directly as fees. |
|---|---|
| Erlebnisaufzug (tunnel and elevator, round trip), adults | €4.80Reduced €3.50 (children aged 4–17, Ehrenamtskarte NRW holders, pupils, students, people with disabilities). |
| Erlebnisaufzug, family ticket (2 adults, max. 4 children) | €12 |
| Multimedia guide (rental fee) | €2.50German, English, Dutch; only against a valid ID. |
Admission to the museums Burg Altena, the Deutsches Drahtmuseum and the Luisenhütte Wocklum is free; a donation box lets you give on the principle of “pay what you want”. Admission to the special events “Anno Tuck” and “Winter-Spektakulum” is charged separately. The ride on the Erlebnisaufzug still costs admission; birthday guests ride once for free.
The Erlebnisaufzug is wheelchair-accessible and takes visitors directly to the upper castle courtyard; the castle itself is not accessible, unlike the elevator. By arrangement, rooms with a few steps can be visited; a nearly level access exists only to the chapel. Many exhibition rooms and the castle courtyard have seating. Accessible toilets are in the entrance area of the Erlebnisaufzug; people with limited mobility can be driven up to the courtyard by car or taxi.
Great for kids & families
Children's tours and workshops: “Vom Knappen zum Ritter” (From Squire to Knight, ages 6–12), treasure hunt (ages 4–8), “Söckchen und Fläd” (ages 6–10) and lantern tours; ideal for children's birthday parties. Below the restaurant is the “Wulfsegge” playground. Strollers are not allowed in the exhibition.
Am Markaner ZOB
All city and regional buses stop at the central bus station “Am Markaner”; from there it is about 200 meters through the pedestrian zone to the Erlebnisaufzug, or about 50 meters to Burgweg. From Altena station it is about 500 meters to the Erlebnisaufzug.
Free parking · 15-min walk · 900 m to the entrance
There are no visitor parking spaces directly at the castle. Cars and tour buses can park free at the Langer Kamp car park (access via Lenneuferstraße); from there it is about 900 meters, or 15 minutes, to the Erlebnisaufzug, or a steep 15 to 20 minute walk uphill to the castle. Paid spaces (weekdays, max. 3 hours) are available along the Lennepromenade.
The most convenient way to arrive is by Erlebnisaufzug (Lennestraße 45, pedestrian zone): a 90-meter tunnel with six themed gates and a 30-second ride up to the upper castle courtyard. From Easter to October a community shuttle (Bürgerbus, about 5 minutes) runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between the Langer Kamp car park, the Wire Museum and the castle. Navigation address for the museums: Fritz-Thomée-Straße 80, 58762 Altena.
Get directionsCastle restaurant in the courtyard with beer garden (Wed 11:30–17:00, Thu–Sat 11:30–22:00, Sun 11:30–18:00; closed Mon and Tue). Museum shop.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN, NL) |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Personal snapshots are allowed, but without flash, video lights or tripods; photo shoots and drone flights are not permitted during opening hours. |
| Good to know | The classic guided tour of the permanent exhibition lasts 90 minutes; shorter highlight tours last 60 to 90 minutes. There are themed tours, children's tours and tours for school classes. Dogs are not allowed in the museums; strollers may not enter the exhibition, and there is a place to leave them before room 9. The entry ticket also covers the Deutsches Drahtmuseum, about 500 meters below the castle. |
