Hodenhagen Castle

Hodenhagen Castle (German: Burg Hodenhagen) is the site () of a former lowland castle (Niederungsburg) built in the 13th century in the vicinity of Hodenhagen in the German state of Lower Saxony. This medieval manor house only lasted just under 100 years and was destroyed in 1289.

The castle was situated in an uninhabited region by the important river crossing of the old post road over the River Meiße. Today the site of the castle is just a few metres from the entrance to the Serengeti Park, half in a small copse and half in farmland.

We have an idea of the former appearance of the castle site from a sketch drawn by Wilhelm von Hodenberg in the middle of the 19th century. At that time the last remnants of the castle - the earth ramparts, moats and stone ruins - were levelled or removed. According to the sketch the castle had an oval rampart, 109 x 95 m in diameter, which bordered immediately on the Meiße. The rampart was originally surrounded by a moat that was filled by water from the river. At the time the sketch was drawn, a farm track already cut through the ramparts to the interior. Within the ramparts was the foundation of a round bergfried with a 10 m diameter and an outside wall, 2.5 m thick. The bases of other walls were identified at other locations inside the ramparts.

Near the castle site Wilhelm von Hodenberg believed he had located a farmyard with a smithy, because he had found pieces of iron and slag. In addition the records show there was a castle mill on the Meiße as well as a historical castle chapel, the sites of which have not been identified.

In 1856 the von Hodenberg family commemorated the castle by erecting a monument which is located on the old castle site in the small copse.

The castle belonged to the von Hodenbergs, who were an important aristocratic family in the region. After they had been forced by the counts of Hoya to move their seat from Altenbücken in about 1200, they built Hodenhagen Castle on the Meiße about 30 kilometres (19 mi) further west. It is thought to have been built around 1200, but the castle is first mentioned in 1244.

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Wikipedia