Herzberg Castle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The castle seen from Herzberg
Interior courtyard with timber-framed houses on stone plinths

Herzberg Castle (German: Schloss Herzberg) is a German Schloss in Herzberg am Harz in the district of Osterode am Harz in the state of Lower Saxony. The present-day four-winged building has its origins in the 11th century as a medieval castle. After a fire in 1510 it was rebuilt as a Schloss and is one of the few in Lower Saxony that was constructed as a timber-framed building. Because it belonged to the House of Welf for 700 years it is also known as the Welf Castle of Herzberg (Welfenschloss Herzberg).

Geography

Herzberg Castle stands on a wooded eminence (275 m above sea level) immediately above and west of the centre of the town of Herzberg am Harz, which lies on the southwestern edge of the Harz Mountains. A stretch of the River Sieber runs past the castle to the north.

Architecture

The castle seen from Herzberg, day and night
Herzberg and its castle in 1753

The present castle is an enclosed four-winged building with a rectangular courtyard (40 x 58 m) and was rebuilt after a serious fire in November 1510. Since the new castle was completed in 1528 completed its basements have been made of sandstone. One wing has an upper storey of stone, while the upper floors of the other three wings have been constructed using timber-framing. Its access through a gate tower and adjoining barbican has been retained. The old castle and the inner courtyard of the new one are entered after passing through the two-story gatehouse. The castle tower, known as the Clock Tower (Uhrturm) due to its clock, was built in the eastern corner. Its three upper storeys are made of timber.

Sources

  • Ernst Andreas Friedrich: Wenn Steine reden könnten. Bd 4. Landbuch-Verlag, Hannover 1998, ISBN 3-7842-0558-5
  • Hans Adolf Schultz: Burgen und Schlösser des Braunschweiger Landes, Braunschweig 1980, ISBN 3-87884-012-8
  • Phillip Julius Rehtmeier: Historische Beschreibung S. 311, Braunschweig 1722
  • Jürgen Wilke, Die Geschichte des Wappens der Stadt Herzberg/Harz S. 1-33 + Literaturverzeichnis, Göttingen 1998
  • Wolfenbüttel Nds.StA. 1 Urk. 2
  • Die Chronik Arnolds von Lübeck. Nach der Ausgabe der Monumenta Germaniae, übersetzt von Dr. J.C.M. Laurent, Berlin 1853

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Herzberg Castle.

Coordinates: 51°39′21″N 10°19′52″E / 51.65583°N 10.33111°E / 51.65583; 10.33111

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.