Harzburg
Encyclopedia
The Harzburg, also called Großer Harzburg, is a former imperial castle
on the edge of the Harz mountains directly above the spa resort of Bad Harzburg
in Goslar district in the German state of Lower Saxony
.
The castle
has almost completely disappeared; only fragments of the foundation walls and the towers together with the well have survived.
The remains of the castle on the Großer Burgberg are open to the public. In addition to a cafe its other points of interest are the 19-metre high Canossa Column
of 1877 and the Bismarck
Elm in the castle grounds. It has two different keep
s; the square one has been partially rebuilt in modern times (see photo). The layout of the castle and the remnants of the walls are explained on information boards at the site. One interesting feature is the wide ditch driven through the rock that separates the castle into an east and a west wings.
To the north on the nearby hill of Kleiner Burgberg are the remains of the so-called Kleiner Harzburg ("Little Harz Castle") and to the east on the nearby Sachsenberg are the traces of a rampart, possibly constructed by the rebellious Saxons to besiege the Großer Harzburg (see below).
The castle drew drinking water from the Sachsenbrunnen
, a medieval spring in the woods. The water was piped over several hundred metres in wooden pipes.
. Henry's architect was later the Bishop of Osnabrück, Benno II
. The castle provided protection for the nearby Imperial Palace of Goslar
. Its walls extend right up to the steep face of the conical mountain top. At the time it was built the castle was impregnable.
Despite its defensive strength, the castle was also especially palatial. For example, it contained, amongst other things, unusually large, three-roomed great hall
and collegiate church
, to which Henry had many relics transferred. He even had a sort of family vault built, in which he laid the bones of his brother, Conrad and his son, Henry, both of whom died young.
At the start of the Saxon Rebellion
in 1073, Henry IV had to flee along with the imperial insignia from the Imperial Palace of Goslar into the Harzburg. The besieging force allegedly numbered 60,000 whilst his garrison only had 300 men. The king finally fled, according to legend, through the well of the besieged castle and a secret passage. In the Treaty of Gerstungen
of 2 February 1074, Henry was forced to agreed to slight
his castles, including the Harzburg. He hesitated, however, and only had the walls and towers demolished, whilst the buildings themselves remained. But in the spring of 1074 the Harzburg was plundered by angry farmers in the area and completely destroyed. The collegiate church was not spared and the royal family tomb was desecrated. This gave Henry cause to advance with all his might against the rebellious Saxons again and so, on 9 June 1075, the Saxons rebels were defeated at the First Battle of Langensalza
.
, the rebuilding work on the castle continued until 1180 and was completed by Emperor Otto IV
, who died in 1218 at the castle itself. The Harzburg lost its immediate function as an imperial castle
because Emperor Otto IV had to surrender the imperial regalia to the Hohenstaufens. However, in 1222 the Harzburg was awarded the title of castrum imperiale again, and the character of the castle as an imperial fortress remained largely intact up to the time it was pledged (1269) using the existing imperial enfeoffment of the Harzburg seat.
castle. The importance of the fort decreased steadily, resulting in its slow decline. A rebuilding of the castle in the 16th century was never carried out due to the high cost. During the Thirty Years' War
, the castle changed hands several times, although its complement remained intact. Since this type of fortification had become insignificant due to the changed nature of warfare, demolition of the remaining elements of the ruin began in 1650. Since then the castle has amounted to little more than its foundation ruins and well. The urban settlement of Neustadt at the foot of the Großer Burgberg adopted the castle's name.
Imperial Castle
An imperial castle or Reichsburg was a castle built by order of the German or Holy Roman Emperor, whose management was entrusted to Reichsministeriales or Burgmannen. It is not possible to identify a clear distinction with the fortified imperial palaces or Pfalzen, because many imperial castles...
on the edge of the Harz mountains directly above the spa resort of Bad Harzburg
Bad Harzburg
Bad Harzburg is a town in central Germany, in the Goslar district of Lower Saxony. It lies on the northern edge of the Harz mountains and is a recognised saltwater spa and climatic health resort.- Location :...
in Goslar district in the German state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
.
The castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
has almost completely disappeared; only fragments of the foundation walls and the towers together with the well have survived.
Location
The ruins of the Großer Harzburg ("Great Harz Castle") are located above the town in the Radau valley on the hill of the Großer Burgberg . It may be reached by the Burgberg Cable Car and has an outstanding view past the neighbouring summit of Kleiner Burgberg northwest over the northern Harz Foreland and, southwards, over the densely forested Harz.The remains of the castle on the Großer Burgberg are open to the public. In addition to a cafe its other points of interest are the 19-metre high Canossa Column
Walk to Canossa
The Walk to Canossa refers to both the trek itself of Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire from Speyer to the fortress at Canossa in Emilia Romagna and to the events surrounding his journey, which took place in and around January 1077.-Historical background:When, in his early...
of 1877 and the Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
Elm in the castle grounds. It has two different keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
s; the square one has been partially rebuilt in modern times (see photo). The layout of the castle and the remnants of the walls are explained on information boards at the site. One interesting feature is the wide ditch driven through the rock that separates the castle into an east and a west wings.
To the north on the nearby hill of Kleiner Burgberg are the remains of the so-called Kleiner Harzburg ("Little Harz Castle") and to the east on the nearby Sachsenberg are the traces of a rampart, possibly constructed by the rebellious Saxons to besiege the Großer Harzburg (see below).
The castle drew drinking water from the Sachsenbrunnen
Sachsenbrunnen
The Sachsenbrunnen is an enclosed spring at the Säperstelle near Bad Harzburg in the Harz Mountains of Germany. It is located on the Emperor Way south of the spa town. From here drinking water was piped to castle of Harzburg over several hundred metres of wooden pipes in the Middle Ages and Early...
, a medieval spring in the woods. The water was piped over several hundred metres in wooden pipes.
History
Under Henry IV
The Große Harzburg (Hartesburg) was erected during the castle building programme in Saxony from 1065 to 1068 and was strategically sited by King Henry IVHenry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
. Henry's architect was later the Bishop of Osnabrück, Benno II
Benno II of Osnabrück
Benno II, Bishop of Osnabrück was born at Luningen in Swabia and died 27 July 1088, in the Benedictine monastery of Iburg near Osnabrück.His parents sent him at an early age to the monastic school of Strasburg where the learned Herman Contractus of Reichenau was then teaching...
. The castle provided protection for the nearby Imperial Palace of Goslar
Imperial Palace of Goslar
The Imperial Palace of Goslar is a historical building complex at the foot of the Rammelsberg hill in the south of the town of Goslar north of the Harz mountains, central Germany. It covers an area of about 340 by 180 metres and stands. The palace grounds originally included the Kaiserhaus, the...
. Its walls extend right up to the steep face of the conical mountain top. At the time it was built the castle was impregnable.
Despite its defensive strength, the castle was also especially palatial. For example, it contained, amongst other things, unusually large, three-roomed great hall
Great hall
A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
and collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
, to which Henry had many relics transferred. He even had a sort of family vault built, in which he laid the bones of his brother, Conrad and his son, Henry, both of whom died young.
At the start of the Saxon Rebellion
Saxon Rebellion
The Saxon Rebellion or Rebellion of the Saxons refers to the struggle between the Salian royal family and the rebel Saxons during the reign of King Henry IV. This reached its climax in the period from summer 1073 until the end of 1075, in a rebellion that involved armed conflict...
in 1073, Henry IV had to flee along with the imperial insignia from the Imperial Palace of Goslar into the Harzburg. The besieging force allegedly numbered 60,000 whilst his garrison only had 300 men. The king finally fled, according to legend, through the well of the besieged castle and a secret passage. In the Treaty of Gerstungen
Treaty of Gerstungen
The Treaty of Gerstungen was concluded on 2 February 1074 in Gerstungen Castle on the River Werra in what is now Germany. It required King Henry IV to restore the Duke Otto of Northeim to the Duchy of Bavaria. In 1073 the latter had successfully headed the rebellion of the Saxons...
of 2 February 1074, Henry was forced to agreed to slight
Slighting
A slighting is the deliberate destruction, partial or complete, of a fortification without opposition. During the English Civil War this was to render it unusable as a fort.-Middle Ages:...
his castles, including the Harzburg. He hesitated, however, and only had the walls and towers demolished, whilst the buildings themselves remained. But in the spring of 1074 the Harzburg was plundered by angry farmers in the area and completely destroyed. The collegiate church was not spared and the royal family tomb was desecrated. This gave Henry cause to advance with all his might against the rebellious Saxons again and so, on 9 June 1075, the Saxons rebels were defeated at the First Battle of Langensalza
First Battle of Langensalza
The First Battle of Langensalza was fought on 9 June 1075 between forces of German King Henry IV and several rebellious Saxon noblemen on the River Unstrut near Langensalza. The battle was a complete success for Henry, resulting in the subjugation of Saxony shortly before the Investiture...
.
Under the Hohenstaufens and Welfs
Under Emperor Frederick IFrederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
, the rebuilding work on the castle continued until 1180 and was completed by Emperor Otto IV
Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto IV of Brunswick was one of two rival kings of the Holy Roman Empire from 1198 on, sole king from 1208 on, and emperor from 1209 on. The only king of the Welf dynasty, he incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1215.-Early life:Otto was the third son of Henry the...
, who died in 1218 at the castle itself. The Harzburg lost its immediate function as an imperial castle
Imperial Castle
An imperial castle or Reichsburg was a castle built by order of the German or Holy Roman Emperor, whose management was entrusted to Reichsministeriales or Burgmannen. It is not possible to identify a clear distinction with the fortified imperial palaces or Pfalzen, because many imperial castles...
because Emperor Otto IV had to surrender the imperial regalia to the Hohenstaufens. However, in 1222 the Harzburg was awarded the title of castrum imperiale again, and the character of the castle as an imperial fortress remained largely intact up to the time it was pledged (1269) using the existing imperial enfeoffment of the Harzburg seat.
Later history
This was followed by frequent changes of ownership. In the 15th century it was pledged as a fief to three brothers from Schwicheldt who turned it into a robber baronRobber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
castle. The importance of the fort decreased steadily, resulting in its slow decline. A rebuilding of the castle in the 16th century was never carried out due to the high cost. During the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, the castle changed hands several times, although its complement remained intact. Since this type of fortification had become insignificant due to the changed nature of warfare, demolition of the remaining elements of the ruin began in 1650. Since then the castle has amounted to little more than its foundation ruins and well. The urban settlement of Neustadt at the foot of the Großer Burgberg adopted the castle's name.