Old Falkenstein Castle ( or ''Burg Alt-Falkenstein'') in the

Harz Mountains The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, 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 nam ...

of Germany is the castle site or ''

burgstall A ''burgstall'' is a German term referring to a castle of which so little is left that its appearance cannot effectively be reconstructed.

'' of a

high medieval The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...

hill castle A hill castle or mountain castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German ''Höhenburg'' used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location. Hill castles a ...

. It lies on the territory of Falkenstein/Harz in the state of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

in the district of

Harz The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, 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'' der ...

. It was built in the 11th century A.D. and destroyed in 1115.

Location

The ruins of Old Falkenstein are located in the eastern Harz region of

Mansfeld Land Mansfeld Land () is a region in the southwestern corner of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The region derives its name from the counts of Mansfeld, who ruled this region for about 1,000 years. Geography In the west and northwest, Mansfeld La ...

between

Mägdesprung Mägdesprung is a village in the municipality of Harzgerode in the district of Harz. It nestles in the Harz Mountains at a height of 295 m. History There was a mill here below the ''Mägdetrappe'' until the Thirty Years' War. In 1646 an ironwo ...

(north of Harzgerode) and Meisdorf (southwest of Falkenstein/Harz) on a rocky ridge () above the valley of the

River Selke The Selke is a river of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a right-hand tributary of the Bode that starts in the Harz Mountains before breaking out onto the northeastern Harz Foreland. It has a length of , of which lie in the forested mountains of ...

. In the forested landscape of the

Harz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park The Harz/Saxony-Anhalt Nature Park () is situated n the districts of Harz and Mansfeld-Südharz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The nature park which lies in the Harz Mountains was founded in 2003 and has an area of around 1,660 km2. It ...

, it lies within the

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

of ''Selketal'' ("Selke Valley") about northwest of the ''

Köhler Köhler is a German language, German occupational surname literally meaning "charcoal burner" People *Achim Köhler (born 1964), German politician *Alban Köhler (1874–1947), German radiologist. Born in Petsa (Thuringia), he discovered a rare ...

hütte'',Köhlerhütte am Hirschstein
(auf harzlife.de) mit Lage au
Topographischer Karte
(harz-ausflug.de), inklusive eingezeichnetem Zugang which itself is northwest of Pansfelde near ''

Kreisstraße A Kreisstraße (, or 'county road') is a class of road in Germany. It carries traffic between the towns and villages within a ''Districts of Germany, Kreis'' or district or between two neighbouring districts. In importance, the ''Kreisstraße'' ...

'' 1344. From there woodland paths run over the ''Hirschplatte'', up to , to the ruins. About east-northeast lies New Falkenstein Castle, a preserved medieval ridgetop castle.

History

The castle was probably built under the lordship of the German Emperor Henry IV. Its architect was the Swabian cleric and later bishop, Benno II of Osnabrück. After the

Battle of Welfesholz The Battle of Welfesholz was fought on 11 February 1115 between the Imperial army of the Emperor Henry V and a rebellious Saxon force. Background Henry V, scion of the Frankish Salian dynasty and uncontested King of the Romans since 1106, had ...

on 11 February 1115 the castle was

slighted Slighting is the deliberate damage of high-status buildings to reduce their value as military, administrative, or social structures. This destruction of property is sometimes extended to the contents of buildings and the surrounding landscape. It ...

under the direction of the Saxon duke, Lothair of Süpplingenburg and was never rebuilt. Afterwards the neighbouring castle of New FalkensteinBurg Alter Falkenstein / Burg Neuer Falkenstein
and other castles at stangerode.de was built, and the Old Falkenstein was probably no longer occupied from the beginning of the 12th century, as surviving pottery shards indicate.Burg Alter Falkenstein
auf alleburgen.de

Layout

The castle site consisted of an oval

inner ward A bailey or ward in a fortification is a leveled courtyard, typically enclosed by a curtain wall. In particular, a medieval type of European castle is known as a motte-and-bailey. Castles and fortifications may have more than one bailey, and t ...

, roughly in size, as well as a narrow

outer ward An outer bailey or outer ward is the defended outer enclosure of a castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It protects the inner bailey and usually contains those ancillary bu ...

about long, the whole site extending over some in length.Burg Alter Falkenstein
with map ''Grundriss und Geländeschnitte der Burg Alter Falkenstein'', at ausflugsziele-harz.de Today, elements of the circular

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

(''Ringgraben'') and advanced rampart (''Vorwall'') as well as remnants of the northern ring wall (''Ringmauer'') are still visible. From the rocky ridge of the ruined castle there are views of the Selke valley. A cross recalls the fatal accident here on 11 July 2003 of local history researcher and area monument curator, Hans Reißmann.

References

Literature

* Friedrich Stolberg: ''Befestigungsanlagen im und am Harz – Von der Frühgeschichte bis zur Neuzeit'', Verlag August Lax, Issue 2/1983,

External links

* {{AlleBurgen, 26264 Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century Buildings and structures demolished in the 12th century Falkenstein (Harz) Castles in the Harz Falkenstein, Saxony-Anhalt Ruined castles in Germany Imperial castles 11th-century establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1110s disestablishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1115 disestablishments in Europe