An important trading route in the Sauerland passed through this area, compelling Cologne’s Archbishop Engelbert von Berg to build Schnellenberg castle in 1222. Subsequent owners during the next 100 years fortified the castle even further. In 1594 Caspar von Fürstenberg bought the property and constructed much of what you see today.
Burg Schnellenberg is one of mightiest fortresses in Westphalia. Massive gateways, stone bridges, beamed and high vaulted ceilings, and tower rooms transport you back to medieval times.
Interiors suggest a certain German heartiness with fireplaces that crackle and stag horns that gaze down from the walls. The majority of guest rooms are quite large and handsomely furnished. The tower room is the best room in the castle. The upper floors are the oldest with stuccoed beamed ceilings. The former brewery now houses a cozy bar, which is decorated with family coats of arms. A pleasant garden is a perfect place in which to relax.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.