Calenberg Castle
Calenberg Castle | |
---|---|
Feste Calenberg | |
Battery tower at the main entrance. Above ground, all that remains of the fort are its mighty ramparts and a few building ruins. | |
Alternative names | Fort Calenburg |
General information | |
Type | Lowland castle (Niederungsburg) |
Classification | Ruined |
Location | Pattensen-Schulenburg |
Coordinates | 52°11′47″N 9°47′47″E / 52.19639°N 9.79639°E |
Completed | from 1292 |
Owner | Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Princes of Calenberg |
Technical details | |
Structural system | Stone structures and earth ramparts |
Calenberg Castle (
Etymology
The word Feste or Veste ("fort") stems, like the words Festung ("fortress") and Befestigung ("fortification") from the adjective fest ("strong", "firm" or "immovable"). The adjective in turn has its roots in the Middle High German and Middle Low German word veste and the Old High German word festi meaning: fortress, castle, fortification and security of a location.
The word syllables Kal, Kalen-, Calen- in the word Calenberg are derived from the word kal in the Middle High German and Middle Low German 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 Calenberg means the same as kahler Berg or "bare hill".
The following variations have been noted: dat hus to der kalenborch 1327, dat slot kalenberch 1350, ...unse del des slotes der Kalenborch 1363, to dem Kalenberge, unse Slot de Kalenberch 1406, Haus Calenberg 1661, Fürstl. Ambtshaus, Fürstl. Palladium 1663, Altes Schloß Calenberg 1730, Auf dem Alten Calenberg 1777, Alt Calenberg 1854, Alt-Kalenberg 1896.[1]
Location on the Calenberg
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Calenberg.jpg/220px-Calenberg.jpg)
The castle site stands on a low hill, the Calenberg, which is 70 m above NN. The hill was formed almost 100 million years ago at the beginning of the
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
Water castle
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Wallanlagen_von_Alt_Calenberg.jpg/220px-Wallanlagen_von_Alt_Calenberg.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Burg_Calenberg_Br%C3%BCcke.jpg/220px-Burg_Calenberg_Br%C3%BCcke.jpg)
The old
Although the castle had an important location as a border fortification, it was
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
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 (Vögte) in the 'Grand Advocacy' (Großvogtei) of Calenberg and, in 1432, it was named as a Residenz for one of the Welf dukes. From 1405 the castle became the administrative seat of the Advocacy (Vogtei) of Calenberg.
Fortress
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
The fortress of Calenberg survived several sieges. During the
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 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
Imprisonment of Corvinus
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Calenberg_Eing%C3%A4nge.jpg/300px-Calenberg_Eing%C3%A4nge.jpg)
The Catholic duke,
As a result, on 2 November 1549, Eric II placed Anton Corvinus and Walter Hoiker in custody in Calenberg Fortress for contempt 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, 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 (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.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Schloss_und_Ampt_Calenberg_by_Caspar_Merian_1654.jpg/580px-Schloss_und_Ampt_Calenberg_by_Caspar_Merian_1654.jpg)
In the left foreground stand the gallows (Das alte Gericht) and, behind them, the demesne of New Calenberg (Domäne Neues Calenberg; labelled as B. Fürstlich Vorwerck in the key), with houses of that period. In the background are the fortifications of Calenberg enclosing various buildings (A. Das Schloss) 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
The place of execution, Das alte Gericht, was located north of Schulenburg's Poggenworth Pond (Poggenworthsteich) 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, Das neue Gericht, which was located northeast of the present intersection of the B 3 road with the L 460.
Fall of the fortress
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Calenberg_1771.jpg/300px-Calenberg_1771.jpg)
After the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Burg_Calenberg_Wohnbebauung.jpg/220px-Burg_Calenberg_Wohnbebauung.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/1764_datierte_Einfahrt_zum_Gut_Calenberg_in_Schulenburg_%28Pattensen%29_an_der_Hauptstra%C3%9Fe_des_Ortes.jpg/220px-1764_datierte_Einfahrt_zum_Gut_Calenberg_in_Schulenburg_%28Pattensen%29_an_der_Hauptstra%C3%9Fe_des_Ortes.jpg)
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 (Neues Calenberg) was established in the present-day Calenberg Manor House (Hausgut Calenberg) in Schulenburg, along with the then brewery of 1673 and with the Amt of Calenberg, which acted as an intermediate administration until the 19th century.
In 1765, from the stones of the demolished castle, a prison (Criminal-Gefängnis) 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
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 (Corvinuskeller). 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 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 built Marienburg Castle on nearby Schulenberg Hill for his wife Marie of Saxe-Altenburg. 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 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, 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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Calenberg_Gew%C3%B6lbe.jpg/220px-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 (Landschaftsschutzgebiet Calenberger Leinetal) 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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Calenberger_Br%C3%BCcke.jpg/220px-Calenberger_Br%C3%BCcke.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Calenberger_M%C3%BChle.jpg/220px-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
At the end of the
The Calenberg Mill on an island in the Leine river near Schulenburg was a
See also
- List of castles in Lower Saxony
References
- ^ Flurnamenlexikon zur Flurnamenkarte Alt-Calenberg a.a.O. on pp. 13, 50 and 53.
- ^ Probable river arms are shown on the map of field names (Flurnamenkarte) sheet 6/3 Alt-Calenberg a.a.O.. They are no longer visible on aerial photographs today due to gravel quarrying.
- ^ Lüttig, Gerd (1960). Neue Ergebnisse quartärgeologischer Forschung im Raume Alfeld-Hameln-Elze. In: Geologisches Jahrbuch Band 77, Hanover, June 1960, p. 382
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: 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.
- ISBN 3-422-03022-0
- 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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- "Calenberger Leinetal" Protected Landscape fact file (pdf file; 55 kB)
- Calenberg Castle Ruins at burgen.de (in German)
- Calenberg Castle Ruins at burgenwelt.de (in German)
- Historic reconstruction diagram (in German)