Where the Middle Ages come to life
A varied day in Altena - where the Middle Ages come to life.
In the middle of Altena's city center - a 10-minute walk from the train station - the adventure elevator takes you directly up to the Middle Ages together with Count Diedrich, the lord of the castle, knights and other legendary figures - in just 30 seconds.
You reach the adventure elevator through a 90-metre-long adventure tunnel and are immediately whisked away to another time. Count Dietrich and Burghard the bat greet visitors at the entrance and guide them through a world of fairy tales and legends - thanks to the interactive edutainment concept of the adventure elevator!
Burg Altena
Once at the top, you will find yourself in one of the most beautiful hilltop castles in Germany. Burg Altena owes its international fame to the world's first permanent youth hostel, which was opened here in 1914. The castle has been preserved in its original state to this day. Today, there is a museum behind the thick castle walls where you can learn a lot about life in times gone by.
Throughout the year, various themed tours, events and workshops take place at Burg Altena and the German Wire Museum, which is located just 300 meters below the castle. Incidentally, the admission ticket for the castle museums is also valid for the German Wire Museum.
Travel by bus and train:
By train: Altena (Westf.) station is served daily every 30 minutes by the Ruhr-Sieg-Express RE16 and the Ruhr-Sieg-Bahn RB91.
Getting to Altena: Attention from Hagen: The train is divided in Letmathe. Make sure that you are on the part that goes to Siegen via Altena. Otherwise it will go to Iserlohn.
Departure from Altena: Trains in the direction of Hagen depart from Altena station from 5:18 am (Sun. 6:18 am) until 11:23 pm. Trains in the direction of Siegen depart from Altena from 6:40 am until 11:40 pm. Monday to Friday from 6:05 a.m. On Saturday and Sunday there is another train at 00:51 a.m.