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Hanstein Castle is a ruined
document
in the 9th century in the "Traditions" (donation notes) of the Corvey Monastery is outdated by recent research; the place mentioned there "Haanstedihus" designates one of the two present-day communities Hanstedt (Nordheide) or Hanstedt (district of Uelzen). The earliest mention of Hanstein Castle known so far comes from Lampert vo
Hersfeld
on the occasion of its destruction by Heinrich IV. In 1070. The castle, which was owned by Count Otto von Northeim, must have been built some time before 1070. Its destruction by the king shows its importance for this part of the high mediaeval tribal duchy of Saxony and for the Saxon nobility (see Sachsenkrieg (Heinrich IV.). It can be assumed whether the previous castle was on the site of today's castle ruins. Not far on the mountainside of the neighboring Junkerkuppe there was another "old castle", the meaning of which is not clearly proven. Since the castle was owned by Otto von Northeim, he probably rebuilt it in the following years. In 1308, Heinrich and Lippold von Hanstein with the permission of Bishop
Since 1990, Hanstein Castle has belonged to the municipal council of Bornhagen. English photographer Mark Robert Davey helped the castle in 2006 by raising money with his black-and-white photograph of the Hanstein. In 2008, Hanstein Castle celebrated 700 years. Various festivals take place every year.
More Castle Ruins - Hanstein
700 Year Anniversary of the Hanstein Castle, Germany
Heimatverein Hanstein
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' {{Authority control Houses completed in the 14th century Castles in Thuringia Ruined castles in Germany
castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
in Central Germany near Bornhagen in the Eichsfeld The Eichsfeld ( or ; 'Oak-field') is a historical region in the southeast of the state of Lower Saxony (which is called , 'lower Eichsfeld') and northwest of the state of Thuringia (, 'upper Eichsfeld') in the south of the Harz mountains in Germany ...
, situated above the river Werra
The Werra (), a river in central Germany, is the right-bank headwater of the Weser. "Weser" is a synonym in an old dialect of German. The Werra has its source near Eisfeld in southern Thuringia. After the Werra joins the river Fulda in the to ...
in Thuringia
Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area.
Er ...
. The name of the nobles von Hansteins, most notable Fritz Huschke von Hanstein, derived from the castle.
History
The older assumption that Hanstein Castle was first mentioned indocument
in the 9th century in the "Traditions" (donation notes) of the Corvey Monastery is outdated by recent research; the place mentioned there "Haanstedihus" designates one of the two present-day communities Hanstedt (Nordheide) or Hanstedt (district of Uelzen). The earliest mention of Hanstein Castle known so far comes from Lampert vo
Hersfeld
on the occasion of its destruction by Heinrich IV. In 1070. The castle, which was owned by Count Otto von Northeim, must have been built some time before 1070. Its destruction by the king shows its importance for this part of the high mediaeval tribal duchy of Saxony and for the Saxon nobility (see Sachsenkrieg (Heinrich IV.). It can be assumed whether the previous castle was on the site of today's castle ruins. Not far on the mountainside of the neighboring Junkerkuppe there was another "old castle", the meaning of which is not clearly proven. Since the castle was owned by Otto von Northeim, he probably rebuilt it in the following years. In 1308, Heinrich and Lippold von Hanstein with the permission of Bishop
Peter of Aspelt
Peter of Aspelt (aka ''Peter von Aichspelt, Peter von Basel, Peter von Mainz''; born 1240/45, died 5 June 1320 in Mainz) was Archbishop of Mainz from 1306 to 1320, and an influential political figure of the period. He brought the archbishopric to ...
began to re-build the whole of the castle. The walls and gates destroyed during the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
were re-built between 1655 and 1658. In 1840, the building of a new hall for family conferences was being finished.
Massive renovations between 1904 and 1907.
In 1946, Hanstein Castle became the property of the German Democratic Republic
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. Due to the fact that the border was only several hundred meters away one of the towers was used by the border guard as a watch tower. Some renovations started in 1985, although no tourists were allowed to go to the castle, because of the border.
The castle today
Since 1990, Hanstein Castle has belonged to the municipal council of Bornhagen. English photographer Mark Robert Davey helped the castle in 2006 by raising money with his black-and-white photograph of the Hanstein. In 2008, Hanstein Castle celebrated 700 years. Various festivals take place every year.
External links
More Castle Ruins - Hanstein
700 Year Anniversary of the Hanstein Castle, Germany
Heimatverein Hanstein
*
' {{Authority control Houses completed in the 14th century Castles in Thuringia Ruined castles in Germany