Lauenstein Castle (Ith)

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Lauenstein Castle

Former Lauenstein Castle (Lower Saxony) 1654 (detail)

Creation time : 1247
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: ruin
Standing position : Noblemen
Place: Lauenstein
Geographical location 52 ° 4 '34.9 "  N , 9 ° 32' 55.7"  E Coordinates: 52 ° 4 '34.9 "  N , 9 ° 32' 55.7"  E
Lauenstein Castle (Lower Saxony)
Lauenstein Castle

The Burg Lauenstein is a former hilltop castle , the one now ruined castle is. It is located above the Salzhemmendorfer district Lauenstein in Lower Saxony . The castle was built in the 13th century by the noblemen of Homburg . Militarily insignificant from the 16th century, it was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century due to increasing deterioration.

location

The ruins of Lauenstein Castle are on the edge of the Ith on a mountain cone above Lauenstein . The castle grounds are covered by dense forest that was planted in the middle of the 19th century when the castle hill was redesigned.

investment

The approximately 50 × 50 meter large castle plateau (coordinates: 52.076093 °, 9.549148 °) is located on a hill that is surrounded by steep slopes. It is protected on all sides by a wide moat. The direct access area of ​​the castle was developed as a gate fence with walls around 4 meters high today. The ring walls of the castle are still in part. Remnants of the wall, an arrow slit and the remains of the observation tower have also been preserved. There is also the so-called “tea house”, the ceiling of which has now collapsed. Today, a sign forbids access to the castle grounds, as there is a risk of collapse and falling on the crumbling walls and steep slopes.

history

After the victory over the Counts of Spiegelberg, the noblemen of Homburg built Lauenstein Castle in 1240 and placed it under Duke Otto the Child's command in 1247 in order to secure protection from the Guelphs ("Two miles from Hameln, under cliffs and wooded mountains, on a hill, the Lord of Homburg old castle Lauenstein. Knight Heinrich von Homburg handed over this castle to Duke Otto with the consent of all heirs and took it from him as a fief (document dated June 30, 1247, p. 223 in Origg. Guelf.) ") On this occasion, the castle was first mentioned in 1247. In 1359 40 places in the area between Ith , Hils and Leine belonged to it . At the same time he received it back as a fief .

After that, residents from deserted villages in the area settled under the protection of the castle and founded the place Lauenstein, which was first mentioned in 1430. When the Homburg family died out in 1409, the castle and all its accessories were transferred to the Guelph Dukes of Braunschweig-Lüneburg . Due to financial difficulties they pledged the castle to Bishop Magnus of the Hildesheim diocese in 1433 , who subsequently lent it to:

  • 1434 Brothers von Cramm
  • 1445 Ludolf von Ruscheplate
  • 1456 Brothers Böcke von Nordholz
  • 1495 Bartold von Oberg and the Ritter brothers from Rutenberge
  • 1497 Heinrich von Saldern
  • 1515 Burchard von Saldern
Lauenstein. Engraving from Merian's Topographia Germaniae (1654) by Conrad Buno and Caspar Merian .

When Burchard von Saldern and his two brothers took over Lauenstein Castle and Amt Lauenstein from their father Heinrich in 1515 , the Hildesheim bishop terminated their contract. The brothers refused to give up the castle and office. In addition, they demanded 3,000 guilders from the bishop , which they had invested in defense systems. After lengthy negotiations, an arbitration award was reached in 1518. The bishop was supposed to reimburse those of Saldern for the construction costs, but those of Saldern were supposed to vacate Lauenstein castle and office. Since Burchard refused to accept the offered money, he was expelled from Lauenstein Castle in 1518. In his place, Stacius von Münchhausen was installed as the Hildesheim Vogt at the castle. After an unsuccessful attack on the castle, Burchard von Saldern burned down in revenge Lauenstein and pinned a feud letter to the castle gate with the inscription: Borchert von Salder do got; dat ick raise every thou fire; I confess that with my hand. This act fueled the armed conflicts during the Hildesheim collegiate feud . The dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg recaptured the castle in 1521 and reinstated Burchard von Saldern. His son Heinrich fell out with the dukes of Braunschweig-Lüneburg in 1587 and was evicted. After that the castle was administered by officials.

During the Thirty Years' War in 1625 imperial troops invaded Lauenstein under Tilly and caused great damage. They stayed as a crew for four years. Swedish troops followed in 1637. In 1640 Lauenstein fell victim to troops from Weimar, who plundered the place. When Lauenstein burned down completely in a house fire in 1730, stones from the castle were used to rebuild it. In 1806 the place was hit by Napoleonic troops. The castle had no military significance since the Thirty Years War and has since fallen into disrepair. The area of ​​the outer bailey, called the Knabenburg, was acquired by the bailiff Niemeyer in 1737 and farmed there until 1850. At the beginning of the 19th century, the last remains of the castle were demolished and the castle well filled in. In the middle of the 19th century, a small observation tower was built at the highest point of the castle hill, which has now fallen into disrepair. A chapel-like house was also built.

  • Remnants of the observation tower, in the back left the remains of a building with a loopholes

  • Gate fence with high wall remains

  • Wall or tower remains with loopholes

  • Chapel-like building, probably from the 19th century

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Oesterley, Georg Heinrich: History of Duke Otto I with the nickname the child of Braunschweig. Göttingen published by Victorius Bossiegel, 1786. p. 107.