Discover Hamm: the castle and the Prüm Valley

If you’re looking for a hotel in Hamm, Hamm Castle and the Prüm landscape offer useful starting points for planning your trip. Hamm lies in a sharply winding section of the Prüm Valley below the castle. The castle stands on a ridge above a small settlement, surrounded by woodland; the Prüm flows around the site. Hamm covers 174 hectares, of which 107 hectares are wooded. The castle on the wooded ridge and the winding Prüm Valley together shape Hamm’s landscape. When planning your stay, you can decide whether to focus particularly on the castle and its history or also include the surrounding landscape.

Hamm Castle and its architectural history

Hamm Castle is open to visitors. A medieval fortification in Hamm was first mentioned in 1052. The oldest parts of Hamm Castle include a keep dating from the 14th century and a gatehouse from the 16th century. The complex underwent extensive restoration between 1885 and 1896, and was extensively restored again in 1998. Hamm Castle is listed as a monument zone in the monument register of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The core of the castle dates from the late Middle Ages; its present appearance dates to 1895/96.

The individual buildings also offer different insights into the castle’s history. Substantial parts of the perimeter wall date from the 14th century; the castle also has two towers. The two-storey castle chapel is dated to 1700 and contains three Renaissance tombs. The four-storey castle house bears the date 1586; its core is believed to date from the 14th century. The dates therefore refer to different buildings and phases, not to a single date of construction.

Stay at the castle

Hamm Castle has holiday apartments that can be booked for stays of two nights or more. They are located in a side wing of the fortification and can be accessed from the inner courtyard. The spacious courtyard has facilities for children to play and for barbecuing; availability may depend on the accommodation arrangements. If you’re specifically looking for a hotel, consider these holiday apartments as a separate type of accommodation and tailor your search to the kind of stay you’re planning.

Places to visit in the wider Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm destination

The wider Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm destination offers other distinct cultural attractions and places to visit. In Waxweiler, the Devonium presents complex concepts in palaeontology and the study of fossil life in an engaging way. The Westwall Museum in Irrel is housed on three accessible floors of a bunker; its military history exhibition is located in underground corridors and rooms. The Mühlenberger Stollen Bleialf visitor mine offers one-hour guided tours where you can learn about ore mining in Bleialf, from geology to applied technology. Check the current tour dates before planning your visit so you can factor in the time required during your stay.

Rittersdorf Castle is a moated castle around 700 years old that has been preserved almost unchanged since it was built. It offers an impressive picture of late-medieval and early modern Renaissance domestic culture. The castle has a privately run restaurant serving refined regional cuisine; check whether the restaurant is open before visiting.

Discover more destinations: Waxweiler, Sinspelt, Irrel, Sankt Thomas, Schlausenbach, Weinsheim, Speicher, Kyllburg.

Return to the wider travel overview: Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm.