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Wewelsburg in Westfalia, Germany has for centuries been the site of a beautiful stone castle set atop a natural rock outcropping overlooking a wide valley.  Built between 1604 and 1607 on the ruins of a much older fortress, Wewelsburg castle was the seat of Fürstbischof Theodor von Fürstenberg. For many years it was host to history, accommodating Napoleon, the Prussians and countless religious leaders. In 1815 lightning struck and destroyed a part of one of the three towers and the building fell into disrepair with only sections of it being put to use. Destruction by time and nature seemed all but certain.

Fate and the Third Reich intervened, however. In 1933 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler was searching Germany for an acceptable site for an Ordensburg (or Order Castle) and Reichsführerschule (or National Leader School) for the high leadership within the SS.

Subsequent to a comprehensive investigation, Himmler determined that Wewelsburg possessed the proper Germanic history and site potential to become the home of his "Order of Nordic Men" so he leased it from the government for 100 years at a cost of 1 Reichsmark (40 US cents) per year! Today Wewelsburg castle still stands and the SS headquarters is a SS Museum housing a collection not duplicated anywhere else on earth.

This is a very fine example of Heinrich Himmlers Burg or “Heinrich Himmler’s Castle” by Stuart Russell and Jost W. Schneider. It is a very nice hardcover photo book about Wewelsburg Castle, the significance of it to the SS and the SS philosophy of the world.

The 8-½ x 12 inch 214-page book with German text is filled with superb black & white period photos and line artwork of the outside and interior of the castle, Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, Karl Wolff, Reinhard Heydrich, Dr. Hans-Peter des Coudres, Hermann Bartels, Siegfried Tauberts, and many other members of the SS that visited the castle.

There are also many interesting photos taken during the renovation, historical archeological finds, as well as pictures of men and women that worked at Wewelsburg in various capacities. The last chapter covers the immediate postwar era of the partially destroyed castle and what was found there by the Allies. This chapter includes photos of plundered furniture and even Himmler’s weapon collection!

Heinrich Himmlers Burg was published in 1989 by Heitz & Höffkes and printed in Germany. This example is in very good condition and comes with its original dust jacket which is also in very good condition. The book has a tight spine and no offensive odor.