Lauenburg Castle

The origins of the structure date back to 1182, when Bernhard of Saxony had the Lauenburg Castle built on a hill above the Elbe. The name derives from the Slavic word “Lave” for the Elbe. Already in 1184, the castle, then under construction, was destroyed by followers of Henry the Lion, but was rebuilt shortly thereafter. After a Danish conquest around 1203, Albrecht I liberated the castle in 1228 and made it his main residence. In the 15th century, particularly under Duke Johannes IV, the complex was transformed into a Renaissance castle through renovations. A fire in 1616 rendered the castle uninhabitable, but its destruction occurred in 1656 due to imperial bombardment. A planned new building after the end of the war was never realized.