The Castle can be visited
CastleHildesheim - Marienburg
Marienburg Castle
Marienburg Castle is a late medieval moated castle in the town of Marienburg, named after it, which belongs to the city of Hildesheim in the Lower Saxony district of Hildesheim. The lowland castle is located not far from the Innerste river, in whose marshland it was originally built, and south of the Hildesheim district of Itzum near state road L 491.
Marienburg Castle was built between 1346 and 1349 by Hildesheim Bishop Heinrich III von Braunschweig-Lüneburg (1331–1363) as a stronghold against the rebellious citizens of his episcopal city.
During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was conquered in 1632, destroying the upper floors of the east and south wings. They were rebuilt in half-timbered style in 1663. After the Thirty Years' War, the castle lost its strategic importance and was only used for residential purposes. In 1806, it was converted into a state domain. To this day, it is called Domäne Marienburg.
Until 1946, Marienburg was the namesake of the district of Marienburg, which then merged with the district of Hildesheim to form the district of Hildesheim-Marienburg.
From 1945 to 1981, a large vegetable growing operation, primarily producing canned goods, was located on the domain's grounds. In addition, from 1949 to 1991, the "MUKU" ice cream, still known in the district today, was produced in an ice cream factory in the castle's vaulted cellar. This was one reason why the site was often bustling with activity, as people could buy freshly produced ice cream directly from the factory.
On March 1, 1974, Marienburg was incorporated into the city of Hildesheim.
Since 1993, Marienburg has been used by the University of Hildesheim as a teaching and research center, the Kulturcampus Domäne Marienburg, and since 2014 has housed all institutes in the Department of Cultural Studies and Aesthetic Communication.
On September 16, 2005, the city of Hildesheim bought Domäne Marienburg for 12.1 million Euros.
Layout+
Marienburg Castle consists of three wings. The north wing includes the four-story palas, also known as the "Hohes Haus" (High House), and the south wing contains the keep and the former brewery. The east wing rises between them. Access to the castle was always from the west. During construction work in the late 1960s, the remains of a gate tower and a wooden bridge were found.
The oldest buildings of the castle are the palas and the 31 m high keep with its base area of 8.55 x 8.75 m. Since the 16th century, the palas was no longer used for residential purposes, but only as a granary.
As with many other castles built at the same time as Marienburg, the individual buildings here were also built directly against the castle's enceinte, so that one wall of each building merged with the enceinte. This saved construction time and building materials. The outer wall of the south wing is therefore 2 m thick, but the wall facing the castle courtyard is only 1 m. The walls of the palas are up to 2.35 m thick. The castle's enceinte was 10 m high and 2 m wide on the east and west, and a battlement ran along it.
The entire castle was surrounded by two moats with a rampart in between. After 1945, the moats were filled in, but they can still be recognized as shallow depressions to the east and south of the castle.
The castle, especially the keep and the Hohes Haus, are relatively well preserved. The coach house and the stone barn, popularly known as the ox stable, have been renovated. In 2008, measures for structural changes to the entire complex began. Among other things, parts of former production and storage buildings are currently (2010) being demolished. The Hofcafé is already housed in a new building.
Tourism+
Domäne Marienburg is known as a sight in the southern Hildesheim area. It can be visited regularly on guided tours, partly from the inside. In the school museum on the grounds, visitors can get an insight into a reconstructed old classroom. Special exhibitions also take place there. There is also a Hofcafé on the grounds.
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