In the honour of William I of Orange the citizens of Dillenburg built the Wilhelmsturm between 1872 and 1875. The tower now contains the Oranien-Nassau Museum devoted to the links between the house of Nassau-Dillenburg and the Dutch royal house. On four floors, and with the intensive use of modern media, the museum presents the history of the Dutch struggle for freedom and the influence of William I of Orange. One section, absolutely unique in Hesse, on early-modern military architecture presents a virtual tour through Dillenburg Castle before it was demolished.
Because of their extent, Dillenburg’s fortifications on Castle Hill (Schlossberg) are unique in Germany. It was not until the 1960’s that the fortifications with their bastions and galleries (casemates) were partly cleared and revealed. Visitors can now gain an impression of the extent of the fortifications which in wartime were able to hold a garrison of over 2000 soldiers to defend the castle. The climax, as well as the conclusion, of a tour through Dillenburg’s “underworld” is the well in the “Lions’ Den” (Löwengrube) and the cell where Jan Rubens, father of the painter Peter Paul Rubens, was imprisoned (Rubensgefängnis).
Castle (This link will bring you to a German-language website)