Lichtenstein Castle (Osterode am Harz)
| Lichtenstein Castle | ||
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 Castle hill of Lichtenstein Castle |
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| Creation time : | before 1404 | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | Castle hill, moat, curtain wall | |
| Place: | Förste and Dorste | |
| Geographical location | 51 ° 43 '16.1 " N , 10 ° 10' 33.1" E | |
| Height: | 260.9 m above sea level NN | |
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The Castle Lichtenstein is a ruined castle between Osteroder districts Förste and Dorste in Lower Saxony . It was first mentioned in 1404 as the property of the Dukes of Grubenhagen . Today only the castle hill, the moat and a small section of the curtain wall made of light-colored gypsum stone remain of the complex .
Location and description
The remains of the hill fort are located west of the Harz Mountains on the wooded hilltop of 260.9 m above sea level. NN high Lichtenstein . It is located between Förste in the north, Osterode in the east-northeast, Ührde in the southeast and Dorste in the south-southwest.
The castle stood on a circular castle hill about 50 m in diameter, which was probably artificially piled up. With a surrounding ring ditch and another upstream wall , the entire system has a diameter of around 90 m. The only stone remnant of the complex is a piece of wall made of light-colored plaster stones on the north side of the castle hill. It is 9 m long, 4.5 m high and 1 m thick. Wall foundations suggest that the stone remains belonged to a curtain wall that enclosed the entire castle hill. Because of the light-colored stones on its outer wall, the castle was formerly called the Silver Castle . Archaeological investigations of the Burgplatz, among other things to identify further stone buildings, have not yet been carried out.
history
The castle was first mentioned in documents in 1404. Earlier spellings were Lechtensteyn and Lechtenstein . In 1404 and 1406 the castle was documented as the property of Duke Erich I von Grubenhagen . Other untrusted sources indicate that the castle should already have passed the mid-13th century, than that of Letgast to their members of the noble family Burgmann services had done. It is mentioned at this time among the castles of Duke Heinrich the Wonderful and is said to be in the war between Landgrave of Thuringia Friedrich III. and Albrecht I von Grubenhagen were destroyed in 1365.
During the 15th century the castle complex was pledged to various knights , including the robber knight Herwig von Utze , who belonged to an old noble family from Lüneburger. When he attacked Goslar in 1438 , shortly afterwards a campaign against him resulted, which was announced in a report from the city council to Hans von Roringen on October 4th, 1439. It is documented on October 24, 1439 that Lichtenstein Castle was conquered, burned down, but soon rebuilt. In the following years disputes arose regarding the affiliation of the castle, which belonged to the dukes of Grubenhagen, but was currently owned by the city of Goslar due to the military expedition against Herwig von Utze. A reconciliation could only be reached on April 7, 1442, under the arbitration award of the city of Osterode . In 1481 the castle was pledged to the Grubenhagen knight Ludolf von der Linde. Another pledge is known from 1507, when Elisabeth, the widow of Duke Albrecht II , and her sons Philipp and Erich, bequeathed the castle to Hans and Albrecht von Leuthorst (or Lauthorst) for 400 guilders . The castle had meanwhile been pledged to Ludolf von der Linde and his nephew Joachim von der Linde until November 25, 1507. The last documented mention of the castle was made in 1567 when Duke Wolfgang von Grubenhagen provided his brother Philipp with firewood from Lichtenstein as needed. This suggests that the castle no longer existed because the forest area of the same name was only mentioned.
After the Thirty Years' War , the castle ruins served the robber Hans Warnecke from Eisdorf as a shelter. He drove his mischief in the Harz foreland and attacked every uniformed man. He was unable to lead an orderly life after the war when soldiers killed his family after the battle of Lutter . According to legend, he was caught in Osterode and sentenced to death by being divided into four .
Lichtenstein cave
In 1972 three local researchers from Osterode looked for a possible secret passage or escape tunnel below the castle. A few hundred meters down the valley they found a narrow 50 m long underground passage, which, however, was a previously undiscovered natural cave. It was initially called the Rotkamp Cave, but was later renamed the Lichtenstein Cave .
literature
- Ernst Andreas Friedrich : If stones could talk. Landbuch-Verlag, Hannover 1989, ISBN 3-7842-0397-3
Web links
- Entry by Stefan Eismann about Lichtenstein Castle in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute
- Reconstruction drawing
- Brief description with floor plan and photos
- Comprehensive history description
- Sketch of the location with a brief description