Schloss Hohenlimburg sits on a wooded ridge above the Lenne valley on the eastern edge of Hagen — a medieval Höhenburg (hill castle) founded by the Counts of Isenberg in the 13th century after their main fortress was destroyed. The castle has been continuously inhabited ever since by the Princes of Bentheim-Tecklenburg, who still live in part of the building, making it the only inhabited hilltop castle in the Sauerland.
The public sections include the keep, the armoury, and a small museum about the medieval county. The setting and the climb up through woods to the gatehouse are at least as appealing as the interior. Combine with a walk along the Lenne and a meal in the old town of Hohenlimburg, which preserves a tight grid of half-timbered streets below the castle.