The Erichsburg, formerly Erichsberg, (german: Burg Erichsberg) is a

ruined Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

medieval castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

near the village of

Friedrichsbrunn Friedrichsbrunn is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 23 November 2009, it is part of the town Thale. History At the location of Friedrichsbrunn there has been a well and a resting plac ...

(borough of Thale) in the

Harz Mountains 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 ...

in central Germany. It is located within the boundaries of

Gernrode Gernrode () is a historic town and former municipality in the Harz District, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2014, it has been part of Quedlinburg.Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg became a center of in ...

History

In 1320 Count

Henry of Stolberg Count Henry of Stolberg (2 January 1509 – 12 November 1572 at Stolberg Castle) was a German nobleman. Life Henry was born at Stolberg Castle in Stolberg, the fourth son of the ruling Count Bodo VIII and his wife Countess Anna of Eppste ...

bought the fortified manor house of Erichsberg, together with other goods and chattels, from Heineke of Hoym and Bertholdus II of Arnswald, known as Geylvus (today ''Geilfuss/ Geilfuß''). The castle had first been mentioned in the 12th century and was probably built to protect a trading route. In order to protect his new possessions, he enfeoffed it, along with Wolfsberg Castle which he had purchased at the same time, in 1325 to the Bishop of Halberstadt. Count Henry of Stolberg left Erichsberg to his cousin, Hermann, who based mercenaries in the houses at Erichsberg that had ravaged Thuringian Land, especially the Counts of Hohnstein from Sondershausen. Whereupon in 1346 Margrave Frederick together with the citizens of Erfurt, Mühlhausen and Nordhausen marched on the castle, took the Count of Stolberg prisoner and destroyed the site. The Erichsberg could not be rebuilt and its ruins were transferred to the Stolberg ''

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 ...

'' of Bärenrode. Of the former castle, a few small remnants of the walls and short sections of the old

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

s and

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

are still visible. Castles in Saxony-Anhalt Castles in the Harz Quedlinburg