Schloss Ringenberg is a moated castle located in the city of Hamminkeln, North Rhine-Westphalia. It stands in the southeast of the Ringenberg district, which gave the castle its name.
The castle traces its origins to a 13th-century fortress, built in the strategically important border region between the County of Cleves, the Archbishopric of Cologne, and the Prince-Bishopric of Münster. After being destroyed by Dutch troops, the estate came into the possession of Baron Alexander von Spaen in the 17th century, who rebuilt it.
Designated a historic monument in 1984, the site was listed as an archaeological monument three years later. Today, the castle is owned by the city of Hamminkeln, which operates its civil registry office there. The building also houses an artist studio center run by the Derik Baegert Society and a restaurant.
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.