Adelebsen Castle

The original Adelebsen Castle, later converted into a palace, is a well-preserved medieval complex on a sandstone rock in Adelebsen, about 15 km west of Göttingen in the district of Göttingen. For about 800 years, it was the seat of the baronial family von Adelebsen, which died out in the male line in 1957 with the death of Georg Freiherr von Adelebsen. Today, the castle complex belongs to the Adelebsen Castle Foundation.

The rock castle is situated on an outcrop of the Solling and was built on a mountain spur southeast of the village of Adelebsen. South of the castle runs the Schwülme valley. In earlier times, a military road from the Leine to the Weser passed through this valley. Today, state road 554 runs here.

The town of Adelebsen was first mentioned in a document in 990 under the name Ethelleveshusen in connection with a donation of land by Emperor Otto III to his sister Sophie. Little reliable information is available about the beginnings of the castle complex. The first mention of a fortified house on the mountain spur dates from 1253, and the castle was first mentioned in 1295. During this period, the Lords of Wibbecke settled from their nearby ancestral seat on the sandstone rock overlooking the village and built the castle here in the following years. In 1234, the family was first mentioned in a document under their new name de Adelevessen.

The castle complex was built during several construction periods in the 14th century. In its entirety, the castle comprises the castle hill, which consists of Bunter sandstone and drops steeply by 30 m to the adjacent Schwülme valley, the terraced mountain garden, and the farmyard located in the valley. The castle was divided into the outer bailey to the north, with the only preserved castle gate, and the central upper bailey.

The castle was set on fire by the Bishop of Hildesheim in 1466 and, like the town of Adelebsen, was severely damaged in the Thirty Years' War. Reconstruction work on the castle began around 1650. Through building extensions, the castle was transformed into a palace in 1740. For this purpose, the moat separating the main castle from the outer bailey was filled in. Other buildings were also constructed, such as the forester's house in 1685, the rent office in 1749, and a 38 m deep castle well with a treadwheel. Around 1900, the palace received a mansard roof.