Hessen, also Hessen am Fallstein, is a village in the
Harz
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...
district of
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Formerly part of the
Aue-Fallstein municipal association, it was merged into the
Osterwieck
Osterwieck () is a historic town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Geography
The municipal area stretches along the river Ilse, north of Wernigerode and the Harz mountain range.
The town Osterwieck consists of the foll ...
municipality on 1 January 2010.
Geography
The settlement is situated in the northern
Harz
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...
foothills, south of the
Großes Bruch
The Großes Bruch ("Great Marsh") is a long wetland strip in Germany, stretching from Oschersleben in Saxony-Anhalt in the east to Hornburg, Lower Saxony in the west.
The depression formed from a glacial valley. The lowland meadow landscape w ...
lowland, at the northeastern rim of the
Großer Fallstein heights. Located about northwest of
Halberstadt
Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bomb ...
, about half-way on the road to
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest ...
, it borders on
Winnigstedt-Mattierzoll,
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
in the north.
History
![Schloss Hessen, Hofseite](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Schloss_Hessen%2C_Hofseite.JPG)
Possibly named after a local chieftain during the
Saxon Wars of Charlemagne, a
water manor house at the site was first mentioned in an 1129 deed. Temporarily held by the comital
House of Regenstein
Regenstein, also ''Reinstein'', was a Lower Saxon noble family, which was named after the eponymous Regenstein Castle near Blankenburg on the edge of the Harz Mountains of central Germany.
History
In 1162 ''Cunradus Comes de Regenstein'' (Conr ...
from 1330 onwards, it was rebuilt as a castle named ''Schloss Hessen'' (
de), while the surrounding village arose in the 14th century.
The estates were acquired 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 ...
dukes of
Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1343, then an
exclave within the territory of the
Prince-Bishops of Halberstadt on the trade route to
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
. Hessen became the residence of the
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel (; nds, Wulfenbüddel) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District. It is best known as the location of the internationally renowned Herzog August Library and for having the largest ...
crown prince
Julius
The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the ...
in 1560; his son
Henry Julius was born here in 1564. Large parts of the castle were rebuilt in a
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
style with extended parks and gardens. Julius' widow,
Hedwig of Brandenburg
Hedwig of Brandenburg, also called Hedwig of Ballenstedt ( – end of March 1203), a member of the House of Ascania, was Margravine of Meissen from 1156 until 1190 by her marriage with Margrave Otto II.
Life
Hedwig was born about 1140 as a ...
resided here until her death in 1602. Duke Henry Julius had an organ built for the Hessen castle chapel, finished in 1610, which his widow
Elizabeth of Denmark donated to
Frederiksborg Castle
Frederiksborg Castle ( da, Frederiksborg Slot) is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick ...
in 1617. Elizabeth likewise lived in Hessen until her death in 1626.
During the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, the village was plundered by both Imperial troops under Count
Gottfried Heinrich zu Pappenheim in 1628 and
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
forces in 1641. After the war, the Brunswick dukes used Hessen castle only sporadically as a hunting lodge. The decayed building had to be restored by the ducal master builder
Hermann Korb
Hermann Korb (1656, Niese (near Lügde) - 23 December 1735, Wolfenbüttel) was a German architect who worked mainly in the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
Life
Little is known of his early life. It is generally believed that he started ...
from 1726 onwards. By 1790, it served as the centre of a Brunswick
demesne.
After
World War II
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 opposing ...
, Hessen fell to the
Soviet occupation zone
The Soviet Occupation Zone ( or german: Ostzone, label=none, "East Zone"; , ''Sovetskaya okkupatsionnaya zona Germanii'', "Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany") was an area of Germany in Central Europe that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a ...
and became part of
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
in 1949. Located near the
inner-German border, the neglected castle complex fell into ruins and parts were demolished in the 1950 and 1970s. The remnants were secured and renovated since the
Peaceful Revolution of 1989.
External links
Schloss Hessen, "Fördervereins Schloß Hessen"
{{Authority control
Former municipalities in Saxony-Anhalt
Osterwieck