kreismuseum wewelsburg

This was a great destination, history from burning witches to torturing of the Jews by Nazis, this place has a dark history, yet a significant history. I am glad after much controversy, the items are not hidden away. Himmler's "crypt" was featured on History Channel Nazi Occult. Never dreamed I'd see it in person.

It is good to remember what kind of horrors took place during the war and its regime. They give a good image of that . Also you can get an extension on the tour by going to a place where a concentrationcamp was situated near the castle...so impressive!

I have stayed in the castle on two different occations and I like the place a lot. The museum, which takes up a big part of the castle, was a nice one too. A lot of interesting stuff from past centuries and more recent history.

The museum has an excellent collection of SS and other Nazi memorabilia with some English translations though it was frustrating (if understandable) that a major, possible temporary exhibition that detailed the lives of many Germans during the war, was only in German, with too much text for my basic German skills to cope with! The village is worth a visit as is the museum and castle. Don't miss the local restaurant Ottens Hof, which is on the museum map as location number 3, given that it was the village community house during the Nazi era and while being a fully functioning (pretty good) restaurant, still has three of the original SS pews complete with Nazi engravings.

If you have an interest in German SS history, the rise to power and their demise this is a great museum to go to. As it would be, a lot of the items are written in German. So of the larger plaques have English as well. I personally found it interesting and amazingly frightening that 80 years ago this was the headquarters of the SS.The museum was interesting and you can also visit the North Tower as well which has a crypt and a room with a black sun on the floor which was used to give the SS power from above.It will take 2 hours to get round everything here minimum.

For World War II buffs and especially for those interested in the occult side of Heinrich Himmler, this is a must see museum. It's located in the northwest side of Germany in the Westphalia area in the midst of beautiful fields and farm land which is dwarfed by the imposing castle. There is a museum section which provides both audio tours and guided tours for visitors and includes a multitude of displays of the period in which Himmler used the castle for various initiation ceremonies for SS inductees including artifacts and other items. After touring the museum, I entered the castle itself and was shown the tower room which contained the portion of the castle where these ceremonies were conducted. The view of the nearby countryside is astounding as is the castle itself. It's a dark side of history but nevertheless, an interesting tour for all WWII history buffs. I highly recommend it.

Very understanted style of this remarkable war museum right outside the amazing Wewelsburg castle (now part youth hostel), reflects the highly sobering nature of content. Spent 3 hours, needed another 3 to do it justice. Take the free english audio guide, without which you will be lost. Quietly and respectiully the appalling SS story unfolds. Himmler held SS strategy sessions hear (and in his private dining club the unmissable Landtgasthaus Ottens Hof in the village.

There are two museums here; one in the castle which is all about the bishops who lived in the castle and the other is in the guard house across the square with the SS exhibition. The later is by far the better not least because it is written in both German and English and there is a free audio guide in English as long as you leave something as security. Very informative. Well worth a visit

I've been aware of this castle for a while now, being something of an enthusiast of military history so it has been on my list.To say the museum handles some 'sensitive' detail is an understatement, but it has been done very well. It is a free museum and begins with displays about the history of the SS and their emergence and involvement in the Second World War. Visitors then move to the North Tower of the castle - with the focal points being the Crypt and the SS Generals' Hall (complete with it's Black Sun mosaic on the floor- now an emerging symbol for German Neo-Nazism, apparently). The Crypt is an especially atmospheric room; the impressionist paintings (as I recall painted by a camp survivor?) which were installed when the museum/castle was first opened to the public adds to the slightly creepy feel of the place. The museum finishes with additional displays about Niederhagen Camp and the experiences of the survivors. I'm not sure that this is a site which is worth travelling too far to but, with free admission, it is a must for any visitors already in the area. One point to note is that the museum is not child pushchair/buggy friendly...so be prepared for a carry if you have younger children. Ottens Hof, nearby, is also a great place to visit - for a drink or a meal.

The castle itself is rather fascinating, set in a lovely little town next to a great old German restaurant. The museum is a bit dull. Considering the history of this place, it could have been amazing. The Original crypt would have been much more interesting to see with out the awful modern art exhibit in it, the paintings are horrible! One of a concentration camp inmate that looks like a day glow alien! It's so horrible it's bloody offensive!!! I was really shocked. The room with the black sun would have been more interesting without the horrible bean bags which were all piled up on the main feature.I have worked in museums, hiding history under weird, tasteless modern design features is a horrible idea, and the the curator should be sacked. The staff were also horrible. Rude and weird. so yeah, interesting history, lovely old castle.. but terribly run by really unpleasant people.

I think this was a great day trip at a historically important building. The museum offers a nice overview of the innerworkings of the SS and the war in general. As an american I thought that it was a good overview of many aspects of the war with interesting exibits. The building itself is very well preserved and is interesting in its construction and the role it played for Himmler's SS. Not worth traveling from far, but if you are in the area and like learing about WWII history in a clean well preserved castle this is worth it.

Magical building with an interesting history. However the museum is bland and uninteresting. I am sure that with its SS history it could have been made a lot more informative. Also the main room that has the mosaic black sun floor has been ruined by dreadful modern art and orange bean bags!

Very disappointing.Wasn't very stimulating at all.The only saving grace was the building itself was lovely to look at and the view from the windows inside were really great.The museum displays were just boring and seemed to be lacking in any kind of exciting information. If you are going to visit I would advise that you would visit there on your way to somewhere else.Not worth a big drive to go there

The 'Holocaust Museum' certainly will attract most visitors - it's very informative (in English, too). The 'regional museum' in the castle itself is a good museum if you want to know something about this Westphalian region.

We started off our visit with a tour of the museum in the guard house. This was actually an exhibition detailing the history of the SS, given that Himmler had intended the castle to be an elite training school for SS leaders. The exhibition was interesting but was mainly in German with very scant translation into English, thus limiting the amount that we could gain from it. We then proceeded to the castle itself, hoping to view the interior as it would have been in its past. We were disappointed to be shepherded round a rather average exhibition about the history of village of Wewelsburg. The rooms in which the exhibition had been set up were mostly modern refurbishments and could have been in any building. There was little reference to the castle's wartime past in this exhibition. The museum was free and worth the visit if you speak German. The castle, however, charged 4 euro per person and was not worth the money.