Ricklingen Castle

In 1225, Marienwerder Abbey grants 20 Marks (10 pounds of silver) to Count Conrad von Roden so that he can build a fortress. He names it Ricklingen in memory of his ancestors, the noble lords of Ricklingen. The village of Ricklingen develops alongside it. In 1235, Count von Roden calls himself Count von Wunstorf. In 1303, Count von Wunstorf cedes the Ricklingen fortress to the Bishop of Minden; however, he receives it back as a fief. In 1333, Count Johannes von Wunstorf is forced to cede the property on the right bank of the Leine to Duke Otto from the Old House of Lüneburg. This establishes the ducal office of Ricklingen with the villages of Berenbostel, Garbsen, Havelse, Horst, Leistlingen, Meyenfeld, Osterwald, Ricklingen, Stelingen and, until 1520, also Bordenau and Frielingen. After the death of Duke Wilhelm von Lüneburg in 1369, the so-called Lüneburg War of Succession begins. On one side are Duke Magnus II of Braunschweig and later his heirs, and on the other, Duke Albrecht of Saxony-Wittenberg and his uncle Wenzel. In 1381, Dietrich von Mandelsloh lends money to the heirs of Duke Magnus II and receives Ricklingen as collateral. The war only ends with Wenzel's death in 1388. The citizens of Hanover support Albrecht and rob Dietrich von Mandelsloh. He files a complaint before an arbitration court but also defends himself. Albrecht wants to punish him for this resistance. In 1385, Albrecht besieges Ricklingen Castle. Stones are hurled from the castle with a trebuchet, which, according to legend, Dietrich's daughter Sophie is said to have operated. Albrecht is hit, severely wounded, and taken to Neustadt Castle. He dies there. Hermann Löns, who often bowled at the Gasthaus zur Linde, sings about Sophie's deed in a ballad.