Not far from the Böker factory headquarters in Solingen, Burg Castle on the Wupper River is the landmark of the Bergisches Land region. It is one of the largest castles in western Germany and the largest reconstructed castle complex in North Rhine-Westphalia. The illustrious history of Burg Castle is inextricably linked to the Duchy of Berg and the Counts of Berg (House of Berg, 1068-1225). We have taken this as an opportunity to dedicate a series of razors to the three Counts of Berg, symbolizing aspects of their lives and, with their impressive gold plating, recalling their considerable possessions and influence. Adolf II, Count of Berg, built the new castle ("Novus Mons," now known as Burg Castle) on the Wupper River, on the site of a 10th-century fortification. Count Adolf II of Berg's influence and financial power in the Rhineland-Westphalian region were immense. The then-customary division of inheritance among Adolf's six sons posed problems for the House of Berg, as this division amounted to a devaluation of their holdings and would cause the Berg dynasty to lose all influence. Since his eldest son, also named Adolf, died in 1148 before Damascus during the Second Crusade, his sons Frederick and Bruno entered the clergy, and his youngest son Adolf was ineligible for inheritance due to his young age, the Berg territory was divided in 1160 between Adolf's sons Everhard and Engelbert.
EVERHARD GRAF VON DER MARK
Everhard, older than Engelbert, received the Westphalian possessions with the castles of Altena and Hövel and the bailiwicks of Werden, Essen, and Cappenberg. This clearly shows that for Adolf II, the Rhenish-Franconian possessions must have been of lesser value than the Westphalian ones. Everhard founded the Altena line; his descendants later called themselves Counts of the Mark.
Adolf III, Count of Berg
Engelbert I of Berg inherited the Rhenish Franconian lands and continued the Berg name in his family. The center of his dominion became Burg Castle on the Wupper River, which had already been built by his father (Adolf II). Engelbert I died in 1189 on the Third Crusade. His eldest son, Adolf III, succeeded him as Count of Berg. His reign coincided with a period of warfare, and he too participated in crusades. Adolf departed for the Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land in 1218 and died of disease on August 7, 1218, as commander of the Rhenish and Frisian besieging troops before Damietta in the Nile Delta. He left no son, so the Altena-Berg line became extinct.
ENGELBERT II, COUNT OF BERG
After the death of Adolf III, the House of Limburg, into which Adolf's daughter Irmgard had married, asserted its claim to the entire Berg estate . Although Adolf III's daughter was already entitled to inherit under the law of the time, Engelbert II, brother of Adolf III, claimed the inheritance for himself. The succession dispute was not settled through legal proceedings, but rather by force, through two feuds. Engelbert rebuffed the Limburg claims by force of arms and assumed rule of the County of Berg himself as Engelbert II. Engelbert II, Count of Berg, later known as "the Saint," was also known as Engelbert I, Archbishop of Cologne. With his assassination in 1225, the Berg comital line ended in this particular line, as the male line of the Berg counts became extinct with the death of Engelbert II. Berg thus passed to the House of Limburg, which was finally able to enforce its inheritance claims.