Lauenstein is a village in the municipality of Salzhemmendorf in the Lower Saxon district of Hameln-Pyrmont in north Germany. It has about 2,100 inhabitants.

Geography

Lauenstein lies in the

Weser Uplands The Weser Uplands (German language, German: ''Weserbergland'', ) is a hill region in Germany, between Hannoversch Münden and Porta Westfalica, along the river Weser. The area reaches into three States of Germany, states, Lower Saxony, Hesse, and ...

, not far from the only low saddle in the crest of the Ith, in a valley that descends eastwards at right angles to the Ith ridge. Part of its more recent built-up area extends out of the valley to the eastern slopes of the Ith and into the

Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saal ...

valley.

History

Feudal tenure

The feudal lords in the district (''Amt'') area were the barons of Homburg, who exercised power from 1152 to 1409. Their seat was the castle of Homburg near Eschershausen. The counts of Spiegelberg were also feudal lords here from 1152 to 1557. They resided at Spiegelberg Castle and later at Coppenbrügge Castle. Another important feudal lord was ''Bock von Nordholz'', who was resident at Nordholz Castle in Nordholz on the

Osterwald Osterwald is a community and part of the Joint Community (''Samtgemeinde'') of Neuenhaus in the district of Grafschaft Bentheim in Lower Saxony. The community consists of the centres of Osterwald, Alte Piccardie and Hohenkörben (Veldhausen parish ...

Middle Ages

Around 1215 Count Bernard of Poppenburg built Spiegelberg Castle and called himself thereafter Count Bernard of Spiegelberg. In 1226 the demise of the Spiegelberg was reported,Margret Zimmermann, Hans Kensche: ''Burgen und Schlösser im Hildesheimer Land.'' 1. Auflage Hildesheim: Lax, 1998, p. 95, when the barons of Homburg from Stadtoldendorf fought for the territorial estate of ''Bernard of Spiegelberg'' and were able to unite it with their lordship of Homburg into an

advocacy Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to influence public policy, laws and budgets by using fac ...

(''Vogtei''). Bernard had to leave the country by order of the emperor. Above the present village of Lauenstein the Homburgs built

Lauenstein Castle Lauenstein is the name of the following: Places: * Lauenstein (Altenberg), a suburb of the town of Altenberg in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge in Saxony, Germany * Lauenstein (Ludwigsstadt) a suburb of the town of Ludwigsstadt i ...

, probably in the 13th century, which became the new ''Castrum Lewenstein''. It was mentioned as such for the first time in 1247, when Henry of Homburg transferred the castle to the Welf duke,

Otto the Child 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 fr ...

and received it back as a fief. Shortly thereafter villages in the area were abandoned as their inhabitants sought the protection of the castle and established the new village of Lauenstein at its foot.

Personalities

Ernst Rudorff Ernst Friedrich Karl Rudorff (January 18, 1840 – December 31, 1916) was a German composer and music teacher, also a founder of nature protection movement. Biography Born in Berlin, Rudorff studied piano under Woldemar Bargiel from 1852 to 1857 ...

(1840–1916), composer, music teacher and conservationist in Lauenstein * Otto Kreibaum, (1902–1985), businessman, founder of OKAL (''Otto Kreibaum aus Lauenstein'')

References

External links

Webseite Salzhemmendorf
{{Authority control Villages in Lower Saxony