The bishop's planned town (the Altstadt), laid out between 1168 and 1187 below the castle on the Wartberg at the Diemel ford, where several long-distance roads meet.
A town count oversees settlement, trade and building. The Holsterburg was built south-east of it in 1191, and the Cistercians of Hardehausen (1155) are close by. The Neustadt is founded only in 1228/29.
Who holds it
- Name
- Bishop Bernhard II of Paderborn, through his town count (Stadtgraf)
- Title
- Town lord
- Confidence
- medium
Lord in 1200
Bishop Bernhard II; his Stadtgraf (not named).
Overlord
The bishop of Paderborn
How things stand that morning
The bishop's town, Otto's with its lord; the landgrave's Hessian lands (hes) lie across the Diemel.
Charter
Planned foundation of 1168-1187; town rights modelled on Dortmund and Marsberg (dates not pinned).
Council
An independent council forms under the bishop's rule (date not pinned).
Walls and castle
Castle on the Wartberg; town wall not dated before 1250.
Trade and crafts
Market at the Diemel ford on the long-distance roads.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Foundation period and the Holsterburg are dated.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.