Neuenberg Castle Ruins

Historical background:

The legends surrounding Neuenberg Castle, perched atop a stately mountain peak near Scheel, date back to the time of the Counts of Berg. However, neither the birth of Saint Engelbert nor the capture of Duke Wilhelm by his sons can be verified for our Neuenberg; indeed, they are highly improbable. When Neustadt (Bergneustadt) was founded in the County of Mark in 1301, it became essential for the Counts of Berg to protect their borders against their neighbors in Mark. During this period, the defensive earthworks and perhaps also Neuenberg Castle were constructed. The castle is first clearly mentioned in 1433, when Duke Adolf of Berg, in his alliance treaty with the Landgrave of Hesse, granted him access to the border fortresses of Windeck, Denklingen, and the "Nuwenberg." In 1438, Dietrich von Burtscheid is the bailiff "at the Nuwenberg and in the fortress of Steinbach." In 1439, there is mention of a loan "for the construction of the Nuwenberg," which undoubtedly refers to a repair. Accounts relating to a "temporary construction at Neuenberg" date from 1470 and 1471. Therefore, its construction can be placed around the end of the 14th century. In the following decades, the bailiffs resided at the castle, unless they considered their own castles their official residence. Around 1500, Neuenberg was the seat of the steward. The formal investiture took place in 1630, but the surrender of Lindlar was reversed in 1631, and the parish of Hückeswagen was granted instead. Nevertheless, Neuenberg remained occupied by the Schwarzenberg family for many years. In 1632, the Brandenburgers requisitioned the parish of Lindlar from Neuenberg. According to a report by the Count of Schwarzenberg, in 1640 Neuenberg was "noticeably ruined and devastated" in various places by "warriors and soldiers." Repairs were carried out between 1648 and 1653. In 1653, the Schwarzenberg family's rule in Hückeswagen, and thus also at Neuenberg, ended through a coup d'état.
In 1663, the "noblemen and residents of the Steinbach district," as the castle had become dilapidated and could no longer withstand enemy attacks, petitioned to have Neuenberg Castle demolished. The Duke agreed to this in exchange for a payment of 4.000 Reichstaler. We do not know when this demolition took place. By 1691, the castle had already been torn down. Thus, after approximately three hundred years of existence, Neuenberg Castle and its surrounding buildings came to an inglorious end. It was not the Swedes who destroyed the castle—Bergish peasants dismantled it.