Schaumburg (castle)

Schaumburg
	The Schaumburg, including the district of Rinteln of the same name
Castle type :	Hilltop castle
Conservation status:	Received or received substantial parts
Place:	Rinteln
Geographical location	52 ° 12 '4.2 " N , 9 ° 12' 3.4" E Coordinates: 52 ° 12 '4.2 " N , 9 ° 12' 3.4" E
Height:	225 m above sea level NHN

Paschenburg and Schaumburg (below) seen from the Wesertal

The Schaumburg is a hilltop castle in the area of the town of Rinteln in the district of Schaumburg in Lower Saxony . The name of the castle, formerly Schauenburg , is probably based on the wide view of the Weser valley . It is named for the dynasty of the Counts of Schauenburg and Holstein and the Schaumburger Land , whose landmark the castle has been since the 13th century. The district of Schaumburg therefore also bears the nettle leaf from the family coat of arms of the Counts of Schaumburg in its coat of arms.

location

The castle stands twelve kilometers east of the Rinteln town center in a wooded area on the 225 meter high and conical Nesselberg in the Weser Mountains , above the Weser in the Weserbergland . Below at the foot of the mountain is the Rinteln district “Schaumburg” (formerly: Rosenthal ).

history

A hunting lodge is said to have stood on the Nesselberg in the 12th century, which belonged to the Rodenberg Adolf von Santersleben. His son, Adolf II , built the castle on the remains of a previous complex and called himself Edler von Schaumburg from then on . Since then the castle has been the ancestral seat of the Counts of Schaumburg , who played an important role in the inland colonization of the Upper Weser region, East Holstein and Moravia in the 13th century . From 1517 the castle only served as a widow's seat ; its last resident was Elisabeth von Schaumburg, who died in 1646.

In 1640, Count Otto V, the main line of the Schaumburg family, died out. The county was divided between Braunschweig-Lüneburg , the Counts of Lippe and Hessen-Kassel . The castle came to Hesse and became the seat of the Schaumburg office. From 1821 it was used by the nearby state domain Coverden and gradually fell into disrepair.

After the castle passed into Prussian ownership in 1866 with the annexation of Hessen-Kassel ( Kurhessen ) by Prussia , it was converted into an inn in 1873. On April 16, 1907, the Schaumburg was given by Kaiser Wilhelm II to the Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe for their silver wedding anniversary and was extensively restored by 1913. Here was keep bricked up to its present height of 30 meters. The Schaumburg-Lippe family still owns the castle today. Starting in 1999, a medieval market took place in September for a few years , which has now been closed. The castle inn closed in 2017, and the tenant complained, among other things, of a high investment backlog in the restaurant. In 2020 it was still unclear whether the building would be re-used, but in the same year the Princely Court Chamber of the Schaumburg-Lippe family closed all of its catering establishments.

Building description

The castle is divided into a lower outer bailey and a higher main castle . Of the medieval complex, three of the original four towers still stand, including the mighty 14th century keep, which can now be climbed as a lookout tower . From 1873 to 2017, a restaurant was set up in the former mansion and former administrative building, which is also known as Schloss Schaumburg . Weapons and armaments are still preserved from the former small castle museum. The majority of the collection is now in Bückeburg Castle .

Representation of the Schaumburg and Weser around 1520 during the Hildesheim collegiate feud , drawing by Johannes Krabbe from 1591
Merian engraving around 1654
Map of the castle grounds, 1736
Historical view with completely preserved curtain wall
Gatehouse and gate tower , formerly with a drawbridge , seen from the outside
Gate tower and gatehouse, seen from the inside of the main castle
Keep in the courtyard of the main castle
Manor house in the castle courtyard

Blood linden

The linden tree on the square in front of the castle entrance

Outside the Schaumburg, on the access point to the outer bailey, there is an approximately 600 year old linden tree , the so-called "blood linden tree ". The following legend relates to them: "As true as this linden rice that I plant here will green and bloom, I am innocent!" Is said to have said a young woman who was sentenced to death here in a witch trial around 1400 .

Wind turbine controversy

Since 2005 an investor has been planning to build three wind turbines up to 150 m high in the Weser valley below the Schaumburg , which are in the visual axis of the castle and would impair the unobstructed view. There was resistance from the population and politics as well as several legal proceedings. Due to a pair of red kites brooding nearby - and later poisoned - the period of use has been restricted by the district of Schaumburg. Construction is scheduled to start in September 2020.