Wewelsburg castle from the south west

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Wewelsburg castle, a largely Renaissance structure, was chosen by Heinrich Himmler in 1934 to be the centre of the SS world.

The choice was possibly inspired by the Westphalian legend of the "Battle at the birch tree" in which a "huge army from the East" is beaten decisively by the "West". In his fantasy world, Wewelsburg was possibly the bastion of the conflict between Asia and Europe.

The castle was need for the SS-race-office and Himmler liked its triangular shape. Restoration in Nazi style was needed. Initially this was done by volunteers, later concentration camp inmates took care of the work.

Courses were organised for SS officers including highly useful subjects such as mythology. It is also rumoured that the castle was linked to the holy grail in the Nazi mind set.

Meetings of SS Gruppenführer were planned but only was is documented, that of 12 to 15 June 1941 when presumably the forthcoming campaign in the USSR was discussed.

Allegedly the death's head rings of killed SS officers were to be kept here in what suggests some symbollic link between the dead 'heros' and the living. Around 11,500 rings found their way to Wewelsburg but have since disappeared.

The full lunacy of Himmler's plans included making it the "center of the new world" after the "final victory". Models of these plans can be seen today in the underground museum. The castle was to be surrounded by an 18 m wall and 18 towers built - no doubt with some symbollic value to this number. Nearby an SS village was to be built. Himmler was realistic though on the time scale and did not expect it finished until the late 1960s.

The north tower is the centre of the SS myth. On the lower part there is a crypt where some kind of odd ceremony may have taken place. Higher up is the Obergruppenführersaal for the annual meetings of the SS hierarchy. It is this tower which was to be the very centre of the world.

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• Wewelsburg
• SS
• Heinrich
• Himmler
• Obergruppenführersaal
• castle