New Gleichen Castle

The Gleichen are a pair of mountains up to 430 m high in the district of Göttingen in Southern Lower Saxony (Germany).

The two twin mountains, which were formerly the site of two castle complexes, are the namesake of the municipality of Gleichen.

The twin mountains, consisting of Alte Gleichen (430 m above sea level; southern mountain) and Neue Gleichen (428 m; northern mountain), rise in the center of the municipality of Gleichen directly southwest of the small district of Gelliehausen. They are about 400 m apart and are located south of the Garte and north of the Wendebach, both right or eastern tributaries of the Leine. To the southeast of the Gleichen is the Eschenberg (404 m). These three elevations are so-called relict mountains. They consist of Muschelkalk, which has already been eroded by weathering and water in the surrounding areas. Thus, in the now lower-lying surroundings, soils of Buntsandstein are found.

The summits of the heavily forested mountains can be climbed on foot, for example, from Appenrode and Gelliehausen.

Both mountains were once crowned by hilltop castles during the time of Henry the Lion. They were built around 1100 by the Counts of Reinhausen, who had converted their ancestral castle in Reinhausen into a collegiate church (Reinhausen Monastery). Afterwards, the castles changed owners several times. Finally, around 1270, the Gleichen came into the possession of the Lords of Uslar, ministeriales at Uslar Castle. Not long after, the Uslar family divided their assets into the Altengleichen and Neuengleichen lines. Neuengleichen fell to the Landgraves of Hesse in 1451, while Altengleichen remained under Welf sovereignty. It was only in the course of the Congress of Vienna that the possession of Neuengleichen was ceded to the Kingdom of Hanover and from there re-transferred to the Uslar family (of Altengleichen), who have called themselves von Uslar-Gleichen since 1825.

The Gleichen castles were never conquered in numerous feuds but were abandoned as early as the 16th century. The inhabitants moved to the former supply farms in the vicinity, and the castles fell into disrepair, leaving only minor ruins, which are mainly still visible on Altengleichen.