Hindenburg Castle

On the outskirts of Badenhausen, on the top of a northward-extending mountain spur on the Pagenberg, lies an old fortress, the Hindenburg, which was built by the Counts of Katlenburg around the year 1080. To the south, it is separated from the spur by a deep pointed ditch carved into the rock, while the other slopes fall steeply to the Söse. North of the neck ditch was the older core of the castle, of which today only the foundations remain. The Hindenburg was first mentioned in a Lüneburg chronicle when it was taken over by Henry the Lion in 1152 after a battle with Margrave Albert the Bear. Around 1440, the Hindenburg fell, and Badenhausen was destroyed by Goslar; around 1500, it was rebuilt by Duchess Elisabeth. Over the centuries, the ownership of the castle changed hands many times; after Henry the Lion, it belonged to the Principality of Grubenhagen, another part was in the hands of the Principality of Wolfenbüttel at the beginning of the 14th century, before it passed into the possession of the Principality of Göttingen towards the end of that century. Pledges were an integral part of the castle's history; thus, from 1400, the Grubenhagen handed over their share to the Lords of Hardenberg, around 1491, one third of the Grubenhagen shares passed to commoners, and finally in 1497 to a mayor of Osterode.