I.

A fastened house (tower house) on a cock.surrounded by a ditch

II.

Extension of the building to the south with edification of the bay and both towers (SE-and SW-tower)

III.

Extension by edification of the ring wall,flank tower and tower house

1145

The brothers Herimann and Neveling of Hardenberg (nobiles) appear several times aswitnesses in issues of emperor Konrad III. and the abbots of Werden (Some me mbers of the family have the title 'comes' because of their funktion as overseer. Yet they never have been owners of a county).

1287

The troops of the archbishop of cologne attacked the county Mark.Earl Eberhard II. of the Mark destroyed in answer to it a large number of castles at the river Ruhr.possibly also the Hardenstein, because the Hardenberger were on the side ofthe archbishop.

1340

Heinrich II. of Hardenberg gets the fief of estates at Herbede from abbot Johann l. of Werden.

1347

Mr.Konrad of Elbervelde, knight, sells Mr.Heinrich of Hardenberg his'fishery in the Ruhr'

1354

Heinrich II.of Hardenberg sells his castle in Neviges to earl Gerhard of Berg. He moves to castle Hardenstein.

1439

By marriage the Stael of Holstein gets the castle.

1529

The oldest daughter of Dietrich Stael of Holstein, Beatrix, marries Heinrich of Brempt. So the'of Brempt'get the castle Hardenstein.

1603

The family'of Laer'gets the castle by marriage. Melchior of Laer marries Elisabeth of Brempt.

1605

The masters of Stammheim try as main creditor to force Hardenstein upon the widow of Hagedorn as a Witten-Crengeldanzer fief.

1629

The noble estate house Hardenstein and its property gets leased to Oberste-Berghausen (Witten-Bommern) for yearly 145 bad Taler, 20 pound flax and 20 cart-load wood.

1651

Johann Georg of Falkenberg leases Hardenstein for 25 years

1676

The estate is leased for a further 12 years

1700

Alexander of Spaen gets the estate by marriage with Johanna von Laer

1787

The widow Agnes earl of Nassau sells the knight estate to the baron Guilbert of Boenen in Löppinhof for 14300 florin.

1815

By heritage earl Max Friedrich of Westerholt-Gysenberg in Oberhausen gets the estate.

1902

Hardenstein falls by sale in possession of Mr.Dünkelberg on castle Steinhausen (Witten) and arter his dead by heritage to the actual owner Mrs.Oberste-Frielinghaus/heirs.

1974

The town of Herbede is leaser for one year.

1975

Because of the new communal System (Herbede belongs to Witten) the town of Witten gets the lease of the castle ruin.