Arfeld location - view of the Protestant church
The village of Arfeld is one of the oldest villages in the whole of Wittgenstein. The old church also has a special significance: it belongs to the type of South Südwestfalen hall churches, as the church roof spans the side aisles and the central nave.
The foundations of the church date back to the 13th century and can be placed in the transitional period from the late Romanesque to the Gothic style. However, it is reasonable to assume that predecessor buildings have stood on the same site on the slope of the Kirchberg since the 9th century. Arfeld was the seat of an archdeaconry in the archbishopric of Mainz, whose catchment area was larger than today's Siegen-Wittgenstein district.
There were two serious village fires in Arfeld in the 17th and 18th centuries: In 1616, the church tower including the bells burned down. The second fire in 1733 caused even greater damage: 52 buildings burned down and the church tower, bells and church roof also fell victim to the flames. Due to the high costs, the church was not repaired until 19 years later. A collection for the Arfeld church was even collected in Amsterdam.