Hasserode Castle (german: Burg Hasserode) in the quarter of the same name in the town of

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012. Wernigerode is located southwest of Halberstadt, and is picturesquely s ...

am Harz was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

fortification whose site is near Hasserode station on the

Harz Narrow Gauge Railways The Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (German: ''Harzer Schmalspurbahnen'' or HSB) is a railway company that operates a network in the Harz mountains, in central Germany (formerly East Germany). The company was formed after the Second World War as a me ...

. Today there are no visible traces left of the castle.

Early history

The archival documented history of the

Harz 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 w ...

forests around the once independent municipality of Hasserode, that has been part of the borough of

since 1907, go well back into the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Originally, this wooded region belonged to an imperial forest before it was

enfeoffed In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ...

by the

Holy Roman emperors The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperator ...

and

German kings This is a list of monarchs who ruled over East Francia, and the Kingdom of Germany (''Regnum Teutonicum''), from the division of the Frankish Empire in 843 and the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 until the collapse of the German Emp ...

to the counts of Wernigerode, first mentioned in 1121, who came from Haimar in the

Diocese of Hildesheim The Diocese of Hildesheim (Latin: ''Dioecesis Hildesiensis'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. Founded in 815 as a missionary diocese by King Louis the Pious, his son Louis the German appointed the famous former archbishop of Rheim ...

. The counts of Wernigerode, like most ruling dynasties, endeavoured to extend their sphere of influence. In the Harz Foreland at the foot of the mountain range called the

Huy Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial ...

they had freehold estates in various villages. These villages were, however, under the counts of Regenstein. In a clever move, the Wernigerode counts attempted to bind the subjects of these villages closer to them by granting timber rights in their forests in the Harz to the local farmers. For example, in 1253, there is already mention of the ''Hadebergeberg'' (now known as the ''Heudeberberg'') south of the Augustine hermitage of Himmelpforten Abbey, destroyed in 1525. The Regenstein village of

Heudeber Heudeber is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Nordharz. The largest company in the town is Agroservice Landhandel GmbH. History 20th ...

was granted timber rights in this forest. Other villages were given similar rights by the counts of Wernigerode no later than the mid-14th century in the woods right and left of the

Holtemme The Holtemme is a long tributary of the river Bode in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It rises in the Harz mountains at the eastern foot of the Brocken, descends during its upper course as the Steinerne Renne, a steep stream bed riddled with granite ...

and in the Dränge valley. As well as Heudeber, the villages of

Reddeber Reddeber is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, ...

Danstedt Danstedt is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the ...

Ströbeck Schachdorf Ströbeck is a village in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, which since 1 January 2010 is part of the town of Halberstadt in the Harz district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Located about west of the city centre, the ''Schachdorf'' ("chess village" ...

Athenstedt Athenstedt is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Sax ...

Aspenstedt Aspenstedt is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Sax ...

Sargstedt Sargstedt is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxo ...

and Runstedt also benefited. These parishes, mainly located on the Huy, had certain privileges within a specified area of forest area, for which the expression ''Achtwort'' was coined at the beginning of the 15th century. In the circumstance of medieval Germany, the use of this forest area for these village which were approximately 10 to 30 kilometres away from the Harz, was very difficult. In order to protect them and better organize the management of the forest, a base at the foot of Harz was required.

Sources

* Jacobs, Eduard (1882). ''Urkundenbuch der Deutschordens-Commende Langeln ...,'' Halle * Sommer, Gustav and Jacobs, Eduard (1883). ''Beschreibende Darstellung der älteren Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler der Grafschaft Wernigerode.'' Halle * Brückner, Jörg (1998). ''Die Burg Hasserode: zur Geschichte eines Rittersitzes am Fuße des Harzes.'' In: Burgen und Schlösser in Sachsen-Anhalt, Vol. 7, p. 26–41. * Brückner, Jörg (1998). ''Prügelei brachte ein Kurfürstentum hervor: Neues über die Burg Hasserode.'' In: Neue Wernigeröder Ztg., Jg. 9, 1998, 6, p. 20 {{Coord, 51.820833, N, 10.745, E, type:landmark_dim:50_region:DE-ST, display=title, format=dms Castles in Saxony-Anhalt Castles in the Harz Wernigerode Buildings and structures in Harz (district)