Wewelsburg Castle

Wewelsburg Castle was a historic German castle located in the village of Wewelsburg in Westphalia. It was large, square and stone-built.

History
Not far from where the castle stood, Arminius had battled the Romans during the time of the Roman Empire.

During the time of the Third Reich and the Second World War, the castle came under the ownership Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler, known for his obsession with Teutonic mythology. Himmler chose Wewelsburg Castle for its historical significance. He believed it was haunted by the ghost of King Heinrich. Himmler had much of the castle restored and rebuilt, but at a cost, it lacked some of its former historical appreciation. A round table was selected for Himmler to meet with his chosen Gruppenfuhrers, whose coat of arms could be hung on the wall behind their seats. Beneath the dining room was a small circular room with a shallow bowl as the floor, surrounded by three steps each representing one of the Reichs. Himmler called the room "the place of the dead", where the coats of arms of "deceased knights of the SS" were ceremonially burned.

At the castle, Himmler performed induction ceremonies to new SS members as well as various occult rituals. Colonel Otto Klein and five other Nazis met Himmler in Wewelsburg Castle when the Reichsfuhrer presented them with their SS daggers and rings. (PROSE: The Shadow in the Glass)

Another of Himmler's castles, Drachensberg, which he had used for similar purposes, was destroyed in September 1939. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus)

Adolf Hitler made a point of not visiting Wewelsburg Castle. He said Himmler's activities were "such folly", although conceded that there was value in the propaganda. (PROSE: The Shadow in the Glass) SS Sturmbannführer Jurgen Leitz also thought lowly of the secret rituals of Himmler and his Inner Circle. (PROSE: Autumn Mist)

In August 1944, the Sixth Doctor, posing as "Johann Schmidt" of the Fifth Medical Corps, met Himmler in the castle before being sent on a mission to recover the Scrying Glass. Appealing to Himmler's obsessions, the Doctor won some of the Reichfuhrer 's confidence and was given a brief tour, but the Time Lord was not aware that the Scrying Glass was already in Himmler's possession. (PROSE: The Shadow in the Glass)

In December 1944, Himmler and his Inner Circle at Wewelsburg received reports from the Waffen-SS commanders engaged in the Battle of the Bulge. Sturmbannführer Leitz was conducting research in the Ardennes that the Circle would preferred to have performed themselves. (PROSE: Autumn Mist)