Windhausen Castle

The castle ruin Windhausen is the ruin of a hilltop castle at 225 m above sea level near Windhausen in the district of Osterode am Harz in Lower Saxony. The Karst Hiking Trail runs nearby.

The castle originated in the High Middle Ages. Among the first castellans were the Lords of Berckefeldt. Later, the castle was disputed between the Archbishopric of Mainz and the Principality of Grubenhagen. The laughing third party was the Landgraviate of Thuringia. It once again came into the possession of the Welfs. In modern times, the Lords of Oldershausen and Gittelde temporarily held feudal pledges. In the 19th century, the municipality of Windhausen bought it from the last feudal tenant, who also held a manor in Herrhausen am Harz as a fief. By then, it had fallen into disrepair.