Sachsenstein Castle

The remains of the 5400 square meter main castle lie on a mountain spur. A round tower with a diameter of 13.5 meters and two-meter-thick walls forms the center. The gate chamber in the north was flanked by two hexagonal towers. This arrangement of building components is unparalleled in the 11th century. The masonry technique used at Sachsenstein, with a shell of layered masonry and a solid core partly in herringbone technique with section joints, can be found in the castles of the Salians from the mid-11th century onwards. This herringbone pattern in the masonry has been faithfully restored. It is assumed that Sachsenstein Castle was not completed. An overgrown section fortification was uncovered between 1891 and 1893.

Foreign ministeriales resided in such fortified castles, collecting taxes from the Saxon and Thuringian inhabitants. This led to the uprising of the Saxons against Henry IV, led by Otto of Northeim. In the Peace of Gerstungen in 1074, the king had to commit to demolishing the castles. After the Harzburg was plundered by the Saxon rural population, the conflict broke out again and led to the Battle of Homburg an der Unstrut on June 9, 1075, which Henry won. In October, the Saxons finally and unconditionally capitulated at Spier. However, the castles in the Harz were not rebuilt, so Sachsenstein Castle remains a ruin. A presumed economic court of the castle was the village of Walkenried, documented since 1085.

According to the Lower Saxony Monument Protection Act, the Sachsenstein is listed in the register of cultural monuments and has been located within the "Priorteich/Sachsenstein" nature reserve since 1949.

The Karst hiking trail passes the former castle.