Calenberg Castle (german: Burg Calenberg, later called and ; ruins known as ) was a medieval
lowland castle
The term lowland castle or plains castle (german: Niederungsburg, Flachlandburg, Tieflandburg) describes a type of castle that is situated on a lowland, plain or valley floor, as opposed to one built on higher ground such as a hill spur. The cla ...
in central Germany, near Schulenburg in the borough of
Pattensen
Pattensen () is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately south of Hanover.
Geography
Pattensen is located in the historic landscape Calenberg Land between the Leine and the Deister hills. The ar ...
, 13 km west of the city of
Hildesheim
Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Lei ...
. It was built as a
water castle
A water castle is a castle whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle st ...
in 1292 by the
Welf Welf is a Germanic first name that may refer to:
*Welf (father of Judith), 9th century Frankish count, father-in-law of Louis the Pious
*Welf I, d. bef. 876, count of Alpgau and Linzgau
*Welf II, Count of Swabia, died 1030, supposed descendant of W ...
duke,
Otto the Strict
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded ...
, in der
Leine river meadows between 2 branches of the Leine river on the southern part of the chalk marl hill of the
Calenberg
The Calenberg is a hill in central Germany in the Leine depression near Pattensen in the municipality of Schulenburg. It lies 13 km west of the city of Hildesheim in south Lower Saxony on the edge of the Central Uplands. It is made from a ...
. At the start of the 16th century it was converted into a fort (''Feste''). In the 15th century, ''Fort Calenberg'' gave its name to the Welf
Principality of Calenberg
The Principality of Calenberg was a dynastic division of the Welf duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg established in 1432. Calenberg was ruled by the House of Hanover from 1635 onwards; the princes received the ninth electoral dignity of the Holy Roman ...
. Following the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
it lost its military importance and was
slighted
Slighting is the deliberate damage of high-status buildings to reduce their value as military, administrative or social structures. This destruction of property sometimes extended to the contents of buildings and the surrounding landscape. It is ...
. Today it is a ruin with underground vaults that are surrounded by high ramparts.
Etymology
The word ''Feste'' or ''Veste'' ("fort") stems, like the words ''Festung'' ("fortress") and ''Befestigung'' ("fortification") from the
adjective
In linguistics, an adjective (list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word that generally grammatical modifier, modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun.
Tra ...
''fest'' ("strong", "firm" or "immovable"). The adjective in turn has its roots in the
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...
and
Middle Low German
Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented i ...
word and the
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050.
There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...
word meaning: ''fortress, castle, fortification and security of a location''.
The word syllables ''Kal'', ''Kalen-'', ''Calen-'' in the word are derived from the word in the
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...
and
Middle Low German
Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented i ...
languages and mean "bare", "stripped" or "treeless". The name formations with ''Kal'', ''Kalen'' or ''Calen'' could refer to the geological base of rock or stone. So the word means the same as or "bare hill".
The following variations have been noted: ' 1327, ' 1350, ' 1363, ' 1406, 1661, 1663, 1730, 1777, 1854, 1896.
Location on the Calenberg
![Calenberg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Calenberg.jpg)
The castle site stands on a low hill, the ''Calenberg'', which is . The hill was formed almost 100 million years ago at the beginning of the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...
during the
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...
stage. Before the castle was built, the ''Calenberg'' rose some 10 metres above the water meadows between the river arms of the Leine that existed at that time It covered not just the site of Calenberg Castle, but extended a further 500 metres further north to the River Leine. As a result, the castle moats had to be cut over 10 metres deep into the layer of chalk marl. During high water the Calenberg still rises like an island in the surrounding floodwaters.
The name ''Calenberg'' clearly indicates that the chalk marl stratum was not tree-covered, but stood proud of the Leine meadows as a "bare hill". The
river terrace
Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial te ...
of the Leine had, in former times, laid down gravel to the north and south of the chalk marl step, that was later covered with
loess
Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits.
Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...
and river loam (). The builders of the water castle used this gravel, loess and loam to build the ramparts.
[Lüttig, Gerd (1960). ''Neue Ergebnisse quartärgeologischer Forschung im Raume Alfeld-Hameln-Elze.'' In: ''Geologisches Jahrbuch'' Band 77, Hanover, June 1960, p. 382] Stone for the foundation walls and fortifications of Calenberg Castle were extracted from a quarry on the north side of the Calenberg, which was used until the second half of the twentieth century as a rubbish tip and then covered with topsoil.
Water castle
![Burg Calenberg Brücke](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Burg_Calenberg_Br%C3%BCcke.jpg)
The old
water castle
A water castle is a castle whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle st ...
was built on the island of Calenberg as a lowland fort in the middle of the River Leine, which used to form the border of the
Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim
The Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim (german: Hochstift Hildesheim, Fürstbistum Hildesheim, Bistum Hildesheim) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the Middle Ages until its dissolution in 1803. The Prince-Bishopric must ...
. The castle was laid out on a raised plateau about 50 × 70 m in area. Around it was a moat, which was later refilled when the castle was rebuilt into a much larger fortification. Originally the water castle was a three-storey
motte and bailey
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortification ...
structure () with a floor plan of 14.4 × 14.4 m. It had a residential wing to the north. The castle dominated the military road or from Gestorf through the
Leine valley
The Leine (; Old Saxon ''Lagina'') is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller and the Weser and is long.
The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia. About downriver, ...
to Hildesheim.
Although the castle had an important location as a border fortification, it was
enfeoffed
In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ti ...
as early as 1327 to the knight, Conrad of
Saldern
Saldern (up to the 17th century, Salder) or von Saldern, is the name of an old German aristocratic family from the areas of Hildesheim and Brunswick Land. The family seat of the same name is an Salder Castle, eponymous castle on the River Fuhse in ...
, due to a lack of funding. He was also permitted to establish an unfortified town to the south of the castle. The settlement of ''Lauenstadt'', founded in 1327, never fully developed however. In 1613 it ranked last in a list of towns in the Principality of Calenberg. Until about 1900 markets were held in ''Lauenstadt'', at which everyday items were sold in open stalls.
By 1350 the castle had been enhanced with a long west wing (32.6 × 9.6 m) adjoined by another gate tower (13.9 × 13.9 m). The rest of the bailey was surrounded by a
curtain wall. In 1363 there was a mill belonging to the castle and a customs station on the Leine bridge.
The von Saldern family had to relinquish the castle in 1364 to
Duke William
''Duke William'' was a full-rigged ship, ship which served as a troop transport at the Siege of Louisbourg (1758), Siege of Louisbourg and as a deportation ship in the Île Saint-Jean Campaign of the Expulsion of the Acadians during the Seven Year ...
because they had participated in a secret pact with the
Bishop of Hildesheim
This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (german: link=no, Bistum Hildesheim). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Prince-Bishopric of ...
.
In 1380 Calenberg Castle withstood a siege by the Bishop of Hildesheim; after which the episcopal castle of Nabershausen near Barnten was slighted. In 1371 the castle became the seat of the ducal advocates () in the 'Grand Advocacy' () of Calenberg and, in 1432, it was named as a for one of the Welf dukes. From 1405 the castle became the administrative seat of the Advocacy () of Calenberg.
Fortress
![Calenberg 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Calenberg_2.JPG)
Following the introduction of firearms the moated castle was no longer capable of resisting attack. At the beginning of the 16th century, and before the
Hildesheim Diocesan Feud
The Hildesheim Diocesan Feud (german: Hildesheimer Stiftsfehde) or Great Diocesan Feud, sometimes referred to as a "chapter feud", was a conflict that broke out in 1519 between the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim (''Hochstift Hildesheim'') and the p ...
, it was therefore rebuilt under
Eric I into a modern
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, accessible over two bridges. The most important measure was the construction of a 700 m long wall, which was to protect the castle square from gunfire. The main wall with eight stone
sconces was surrounded by a 40 m wide moat, which was flooded by a channel from the ''Rössingbach'' stream. In front of the western entrance with its
drawbridge
A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...
, an unfortified 'island' () was laid out and given the field name . Directly behind the bridge was the three-story
battery tower
A battery tower was a defensive tower built into the outermost defences of many castles, usually in the 16th century or later, after the advent of firearms. Its name is derived from the word battery, a group of several cannon.
These, usually r ...
, about 24 m in diameter with 2 m thick walls and gun slits arranged in pairs. The fort was defended by seventeen guns and was thus better equipped than the towns of Göttingen and Hanover that belonged to the Principality.
The fortress of Calenberg survived several sieges. During the
Great Diocesan Feud in 1519 it was besieged for three weeks without success. In the
Thirty Years War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an es ...
the fortress of Calenberg was besieged in 1625 for three weeks by
Tilly Tilly may refer to:
Places France
* Tilly, Eure, in the Eure ''département''
* Tilly, Indre, in the Indre ''département''
* Tilly, Yvelines, in the Yvelines ''département''
Elsewhere
* Tilly, Belgium, a village in the municipality of Viller ...
and it was surrendered only after a
mutiny
Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...
by the troops. In 1632 the Welf duke,
George of Brunswick-Calenberg
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (17 February 1582, in Celle – 12 April 1641, in Hildesheim), ruled as Prince of Calenberg from 1635.
George was the sixth son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1535–1592) and Dorothea of Denmark, Duc ...
, fighting on the Swedish side, did not initially succeed in retaking the castle despite a six-week siege. Only after his victory in the Battle of Hessisch-Oldendorf and another siege, was he able to capture the heavily damaged fortress of Calenberg in 1633.
Later Usage
The fortress helped to reduce the influence of the
bishops of Hildesheim, with whom the Welfs lived in constant conflict, in the region of
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
and to achieve territorial gains. At the start of the 16th century the water castle was converted into a manor house. But it was not big enough to host the court, and was not surrounded by a larger settlement. So it was never a palace, but more of a manor house and was only the seat of the advocacy for a limited time. The actual administrative centre of the Principality was in
Neustadt. The fortress of Calenberg was, however, regarded by the princes as their ancestral home and was looked after accordingly.
In 1634, after a number of divisions of the estate, the principalities of Calenberg and Göttingen were merged into the Principality of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle and, after the granting of electorate status in 1692, became part of the
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...
. In 1636, Duke George of Brunswick-Calenberg recaptured the territory for the House of Welf during the Thirty Years with the help of Swedish troops, and chose Hanover as a residence. From 1648 the manor house itself was turned back into a fortress. It then served as a
garrison
A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
, from 1673 as a glass factory and then as a prison. The fortress was repaired again from 1656 to 1662. On the left bank of the river a
demesne
A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...
was built as seat for the administration of the
Amt
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...
as well as of the castle's farmlands.
Imprisonment of Corvinus
![Calenberg Eingänge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Calenberg_Eing%C3%A4nge.jpg)
The Catholic duke,
Eric II accepted in 1548 the
Augsburg Interim
The Augsburg Interim (full formal title: ''Declaration of His Roman Imperial Majesty on the Observance of Religion Within the Holy Empire Until the Decision of the General Council'') was an imperial decree ordered on 15 May 1548 at the 1548 Diet ...
from the Catholic Emperor. At the Lutheran
synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
of Münden in 1549, the Lutheran reformer,
Anton Corvinus
Anton may refer to: People
*Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name
*Anton (surname)
Places
*Anton Municipality, Bulgaria
**Anton, Sofia Province, a village
*Antón District, Panama
**Antón, a town and capital of th ...
, and the Pattensen preacher, Walter Hoiker, (also ''Hocker''), together with 140 priests, voiced their bitter opposition to the Interim.
As a result, on 2 November 1549, Eric II placed Anton Corvinus and Walter Hoiker in custody in Calenberg Fortress for
contempt
Contempt is a pattern of attitudes and behaviour, often towards an individual or a group, but sometimes towards an ideology, which has the characteristics of disgust and anger.
The word originated in 1393 in Old French contempt, contemps, ...
to force them and the other clergy to accept the Interim. The prisoners were well cared for, could receive and reply to letters and talk to visitors through an open window. After the
Peace of Passau
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V had won a victory against Protestant forces in the Schmalkaldic War of 1547. Many Protestant princes were unhappy with the religious terms of the Augsburg Interim imposed after this victory. In January 1552, led by Maur ...
, when the Emperor declared the Interim invalid and Eric II had fallen out of favour with him, the two prisoners were released on 21 October 1552.
Merian copperplate
In 1654
Caspar Merian
Caspar is a masculine given name. It may refer to:
People
* Caspar (magus), a name traditionally given to one of the Three Magi in the Bible who brought the baby Jesus gifts
*Caspar Austa (born 1982), Estonian cyclist
*Caspar Badrutt (1848–1904 ...
(1627–1686) published his copperplate of Calenberg Fortress in ''Topographia Germaniae Braunschweig-Lüneburg'', which was based on a sketch by survey engineer, Conrad Buno. The copperplate shows a perspective view from the village of Gestorf towards Hildesheim, i.e. from northwest to southeast.
![Schloss und Ampt Calenberg by Caspar Merian 1654](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Schloss_und_Ampt_Calenberg_by_Caspar_Merian_1654.jpg)
In the left foreground stand the gallows () and, behind them, the demesne of New Calenberg (; labelled as B. in the key), with houses of that period. In the background are the fortifications of Calenberg enclosing various buildings (A. ) with a house for employees on the defensive island in front of the fortress. To the right of the fort are the houses of ''Lauenstadt'' (D. ''Lawenstat''); in front of them, on the near bank of the
Leine
The Leine (; Old Saxon ''Lagina'') is a river in Thuringia and Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Aller and the Weser and is long.
The river's source is located close to the town of Leinefelde in Thuringia. About downriver, t ...
(''G. Leina Fluss''), is the ''Calenberg Mill'' (C. ). In the right foreground is the village of ''Schulenburg'' (F. ) and, behind on the other side of the Leine, the village of
Rössing (E. ). To the rear left is the village of
Barnten (H. ''Bornden''). The unnamed village on the right behind the fortress is
Emmerke Emmerke is a part of the municipality of Giesen in the district of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, in north-western Germany.
Geography
Emmerke is approx.6 km of the district town Hildesheim and 25 km from the state capital Hanover
Descript ...
.
The place of execution, , was located north of Schulenburg's ''Poggenworth Pond'' () at the southern edge of the military road from ''Schulenburg'' to ''Gestorf'' (now the L 460 state road) on the site of the abandoned village of ''Herbergen''. The gallows were later replaced by a new execution site, , which was located northeast of the present intersection of the B 3 road with the L 460.
Fall of the fortress
![Calenberg 1771](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Calenberg_1771.jpg)
After the
Thirty Years War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an es ...
the fortress was no longer capable against the greater ranges of guns. In addition there was also a security risk because, if enemies took possession of it, they could threaten the
Calenberg Land
The Calenberg Land (german: Calenberger Land) is a historic landscape southwest of Hanover in Germany, roughly formed by the countryside between the Leine and the Deister hills. The name of this region comes from the Principality of Calenberg rul ...
.
As a result, the castle was abandoned and, in 1690, demolished due to its dilapidated state. In 1692 Calenberg Fortress was slighted, the southern castle was removed and the moats were filled in. Consequently, the city of Hanover was fortified. In 1669 on the left bank of the Leine the desmesne of New Calenberg () was established in the present-day Calenberg Manor House () in Schulenburg, along with the then brewery of 1673 and with the of Calenberg, which acted as an intermediate administration until the 19th century.
In 1765, from the stones of the demolished castle, a prison () was built in the northeastern part of the fortress site. It was surrounded by protective walls and served as a gaol until 1930. It was demolished before the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. South of it stood the accommodation for the prison warders and the legal staff (); here there were 2 detention cells with barred windows. This building later served as a private house with an outbuilding to the south; it had been demolished by 1981.
A row of two half-timbered houses dating from 1830 stood centrally on the foundation of the west wing of the early 14th-century castle. To the south was a stone building, the southern cellar entrance of which still exists and is called the Corvinus Cellar (). The area lying to the east of the demolished castle was used as a garden. The buildings were occupied by three families in 1981, but became so dilapidated that they had to be completely removed in the following years. The gardens were planted with forest trees. A
hydrant
A hydrant is an outlet from a fluid main often consisting of an upright pipe with a valve attached, from which fluid (e.g. water or fuel) can be tapped.
Depending on the fluid involved, the term may refer to:
* Fire hydrant for firefighting water ...
by the track indicates where the old buildings used to be. Although the buildings were removed, the cellars remained, several entrances were filled in, others are still open. By 1990 the ruins were restored by Rasch, a stonemasons' company from Schulenburg, using stones found on the site. One of their finds was a decorative stone that resembled a coat of arms, which was set over the lintel of the entrance to the Corvinus Cellar. In the Corvinus Cellar is the inscription "Have patience, brother".
In the 19th century King
George V of Hanover
en, George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus
, house = Hanover
, religion = Protestant
, father = Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover
, mother = Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, birth_date = 27 May 1819
, ...
built
Marienburg Castle on nearby Schulenberg Hill for his wife
Marie of Saxe-Altenburg
Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (Alexandrina Mary Wilhelmina Catherine Charlotte Theresa Henrietta Louise Pauline Elizabeth Frederica Georgina; german: Alexandrine Marie Wilhelmine Katharine Charlotte Theresia Henriette Luise Pauline Elisabeth Frieder ...
. Today Marienburg is owned by
Prince Ernst August of Hanover, housing his administration, a museum and a restaurant. After the annexation of the
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...
by Prussia in 1866, Marienburg remained a private property while Calenberg Castle and its royal demesne became state owned. After 1920 however, following a compensation agreement, the demesne was returned to the
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...
, together with other property. The demesne buildings were sold in 2011, but the farmlands are still owned by the former royal family.
Present-day ruins
![Calenberg Gewölbe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Calenberg_Gew%C3%B6lbe.jpg)
The remains of the fortress lie in the area of Old Calenberg, which has been part of the Calenberg-Leine Valley Protected Landscape () since 1997. Of the fortress and the motte, only the ramparts, cellars and foundations of the fort, the manor house, the Corvinus Cellar and ruins of the battery tower remain. The battery tower and its 2 cellars have been locked since the middle of 2008. Bats hibernate in the vaulted cellars under the two wings of the castle. From 1 October to 30 April the hibernating animals must not be disturbed. In one vault there is a stone well, several metres deep. The underground cellars are so extensive that, on one occasion, two children that had strayed into them had to be rescued by the emergency services.
According to oral tradition there were also underground escape tunnels to Lauenstadt and the Bishopric of Hildesheim. The ramparts still exist to the northwest, north and northeast. The surrounding moats are no longer filled with water. The whole area is overgrown with trees, bushes and stinging nettles, and there are also snowdrops and wild narcissi.
Since the end of the 20th century an ecumenical church service has been held in the morning on Ascension Day in good weather in the southern part of Calenberg Castle. (as at: 2007).
Calenberg Bridge and Mill
![Calenberger Mühle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Calenberger_M%C3%BChle.jpg)
A bridge over the River Leine between Calenberg Fortress and the village of Schulenburg was mentioned in the records as long ago as 1363. The existing stone bridge with three elliptical arches on two river piers was built in 1751 from chalk sandstone blocks and dated on the coat of arms stone with a monogram of King
George II George II or 2 may refer to:
People
* George II of Antioch (seventh century AD)
* George II of Armenia (late ninth century)
* George II of Abkhazia (916–960)
* Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051)
* George II of Georgia (1072–1089)
* ...
. It is protected by traffic lights and may only be crossed in one direction at a time. The bridge is a
listed monument
Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management (CRM), although it also draws on the practices of cultural conservation, restoration, museology, arch ...
. It was renovated in summer 2008.
At the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, two citizens from
Adensen, Conrad Kösel and Rudolf Ohlmer, wanted to prevent German soldiers from blowing up the bridges at Marienberg and the Leine Bridge at Schulenburg. When they arrived at the Marienberg Bridge on 6 April 1945 it had already been blown up. Together with Hans Bremer, the owner of the Calenberg Mill, they were able to prevent the Calenberg Bridge being blown. Conrad Kösel and Rudolf Ohlmer were shot dead in their car during the retreat on the K 506 road just before Adensen by the advancing tanks of the
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. The Calenberg Bridge had already been prepared for demolition, but Hans Bremer had invited the demolition guard commando of the
Volkssturm
The (; "people's storm") was a levée en masse national militia established by Nazi Germany during the last months of World War II. It was not set up by the German Army, the ground component of the combined German ''Wehrmacht'' armed forces, ...
to vespers and entertained his guests for so long that the bridge was seized by the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
.
The Calenberg Mill on an island in the Leine river near Schulenburg was a
water mill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production o ...
. Its predecessor is portrayed on the Merian copperplate (see above). The first Calenberg Mill, however, was located in Calenberg Castle itself.
See also
*
List of castles in Lower Saxony {{short description, None
Numerous castles and palaces are found in the German state of Lower Saxony. These buildings, some of which have a history of over 1000 years, were the setting of historical events, domains of famous personalities and are ...
References
Sources
* ''Die Kunstdenkmale der Provinz Hannover'' Bd. 29: I,3 ''Kreis Springe.'' Hannover 1941, S. 30 bis 32, 191 bis 192.
* Kurt Brüning, Heinrich Schmidt (Herausgeber): ''Handbuch der historischen Stätten Deutschlands.'' Bd. 2: ''Niedersachsen und Bremen.'' 4. Aufl., Alfred Kröner Verlag, Stuttgart 1976. S. 91–93.
* Edgar Kalthoff: ''Die Burg und Feste Calenberg – Versuch einer Rekonstruktion''. In: Burgen und Schlösser, 19 (1), 1978, S. 2-11
* Edgar Kalthoff: ''Die Geschichte der Burg Calenberg''. In: Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte, 50 (1978), S. 321-346
*
Historisches Museum Hannover
(german: Historisches Museum Hannover) is an historical museum situated in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. The museum was founded in 1903 as the Homeland Museum of the City of Hanover (). Its collections are related to the histor ...
: ''Calenberg – Von der Burg zum Fürstentum''. Hannover 1979
*
Carl-Hans Hauptmeyer: ''Calenberg – Geschichte und Gesellschaft einer Landschaft''. Hannover 1983
* Eckard Steigerwald: ''Pattensen. Zur Geschichte und Entwicklung der Dörfer (bis Ende des 16. Jahrhunderts).'' Herausgabe und Vertrieb: Stadt Pattensen 1986.
* Eckard Steigerwald: ''Wie wirklichkeitsgetreu ist Merians Stich von der Feste Calenberg?'' In: ''Burgen und Schlösser'' 1992/I, S. 23–25.
* Henner Hannig: ''Landkreis Hannover.'' Denkmaltopographie Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Baudenkmale in Niedersachsen Bd. 13.1. Verlag Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn, Braunschweig und Wiesbaden 1988. S. 128f u. 238ff.
* Eckard Steigerwald: ''Die Feste Calenberg: ein vergessenes Denkmal niedersächsischer Geschichte?'' Rotary Club Calenberg-Pattensen, Pattensen ca. 1991.
*
Georg Dehio
Georg Gottfried Julius Dehio (22 November 1850 in Reval (now Tallinn), Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire – 21 March 1932 in Tübingen), was a Baltic German art historian.
In 1900, Dehio started the "''Handbuch der deutschen Kunstgesch ...
: ''Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler. Bremen, Niedersachsen.''
Deutscher Kunstverlag
The Deutscher Kunstverlag (DKV) is an educational publishing house with offices in Berlin and Munich. The publisher specializes in books about art, cultural history, architecture, and historic preservation.
History
Deutscher Kunstverlag was fo ...
, München und Berlin 1992,
* Margret Zimmermann, Hans Kensche: ''Burgen und Schlösser im Hildesheimer Land.'' Lax Verlag, Hildesheim, 2. Aufl. 2001.
Maps
* ''Flurnamenkarte'' 1:10.000 Blatt 5/3 ''Gestorf'' des Landkreises Hannover, Abt. Kartographie, o. J. (1986).
* ''Flurnamenlexikon zur Flurnamenkarte'', Hrsg. vom Landkreis Hannover. Bearb. Heinz Weber Teil 5,3: ''Gestorf''. Schriftenreihe: ''Flurnamensammlung des Landkreises Hannover.'' o. J. (1986).
* ''Flurnamenkarte'' 1:10.000 Blatt 6/3 ''Alt-Calenberg'' des Landkreises Hannover, Abt. Kartographie, o. J. (1981).
* ''Flurnamenlexikon zur Flurnamenkarte'', Hrsg. vom Landkreis Hannover. Bearb. Heinz Weber Teil 6,3: ''Alt-Calenberg''. Schriftenreihe: ''Flurnamensammlung des Landkreises Hannover.'' o. J. (1987).
Archives
* GSTA Berlin, HA STA Königsberg, HBA A2 1584–1586 (K. 92) Inventarium 3: Calenberg.
* Celle Br 2 Nr. 335, Br 57 Nr. 126.
* HSTA Düsseldorf, Werden Akten V d, Nr. 1, Bl. 2.
* Nds. Hauptstaatsarchiv Hannover, Cal Br 2 Nr. 78 + 335, Cal Br 8 Nr. 944, Cal Br 21, 2869, Hann 74 Cal. Nr. 93 + 1302 + 1303 + 1342, Hann 76 c B Nr. 101, Hann 88A Nr. 989.
External links
"Calenberger Leinetal" Protected Landscape fact file(pdf file; 55 kB)
Calenberg Castle Ruins at burgen.deHistoric reconstruction diagram{{in lang, de
Castles in Lower Saxony
Hanover (region)
Lowland castles