Brackenburg Castle

The Brackenburg castle ruin is located directly on the hilltop and is freely accessible. Its steep slopes, presumably artificially created during its construction, still make the ascent to the core area of the castle difficult today. Of the former castle complex, which was built from basalt stones, ditch, rampart, and two wall remains are still present. In the southwest of the complex stands a tower-like wall section, which rises almost 6 m high above the terrain.

The former castle was built by Duke Ernst I between 1303/04 and 1353 near the former military and trade road from Hann. Münden to Göttingen as a strategically important protection against raids by Hessian princes. The first inhabitants of the castle were the Lords of Stockhausen. According to Johannes Letzner, however, the Brackenburg is said to be much older, and to have been built in 1079 by the nobles of Berlepsch. These are said to have subsequently lived in the castle for many years.

In 1370, the castle, along with the villages of Atzenhausen, Lippoldshausen, Meensen, Mollenfelde, the deserted settlement of Posthagen, and the Leineholz with court and rights, was pledged for 400 silver marks to the brothers Hermann and Heinz von Kolmatsch from Thuringia by Duke Otto the Wicked.

In 1411, Duke Otto the One-Eyed decided on a major military campaign against the robber knights at Brackenburg. The castle was besieged and bombarded until the heavily damaged structure could be captured after about three weeks. In 1427, Otto gave the castle to his wife Agnes. From the mid-15th century, the Lords of Gieme then appear as owners of the castle, as Janus von Gieme is attested as owner in 1458. Shortly thereafter, the castle was besieged and plundered, the Gieme family suffered enormous material damage and died out shortly after. However, the damage to the castle was soon repaired, and for 22 years, the Lords of Boventen, alongside the Junkers von Grone, who also inhabited their own castle house at Brackenburg, appeared as owners.

In 1486, during the great city feud, the Brackenburg was burned down. At this time, the castle belonged to Hermann von Haus, a relative of Bertholt von Hildesheim. The Göttingen citizens, under the leadership of Captain Hinterthür, marched against the castle, conquered it, and captured Hermann von Haus. They then sold the castle to the Lords of Adelebsen. Towards the end of the 16th century, there is evidence that the Lords of Bodenhausen were in possession of the castle. A document, issued on December 9, 1573, in Münden, states that Wilken the Elder von Bodenhausen paid Duke Erich II of Münden 5000 Rhenish gold guilders and 6000 hard Reichstalers as collateral for the house and office of Brackenberg on Laetare 1574. Wilken was administrator of the house and office for six years. In 1583, the sum was paid again by Wilken's son, Melchior von Bodenhausen. Later, the castle fell into oblivion, but experienced a new surge in popularity when interest in knightly glory increased again as part of Goethe's "Götz von Berlichingen". The Brackenburg was to receive a similar play. In 1776, the play was printed and ten years later premiered in Göttingen under the title "Hermann Riedel von der Brackenburg or Stubbornness Harms Marriages". Since then, it has been left to decay.