Henneckenrode Castle

The origins of today's Henneckenrode Castle date back to the early 13th century, when the area belonged to the Counts of Wohldenberg. Later, the estate came into the possession of the Bishop of Hildesheim, who enfeoffed it to the von Heere family. In 1567, Burchhard von Saldern became the feudal tenant, and his son Heinrich von Saldern built the castle between 1579 and 1580. After a fire in 1588, which necessitated reconstruction, the castle changed hands in 1684, passing to Adam Arnold Freiherr von Bocholtz. In 1820, Friedrich Blum acquired the property, stipulating in his will that it should be converted into an orphanage after his death in 1832. The Blum’sche Orphanage Foundation opened the orphanage in 1838. During World War II, the castle served as a Wehrmacht hospital from 1942 to 1945. Since 1988, the entire ensemble has been a protected monument, and extensive renovation work was carried out in 2012 and 2013.