The Ericsburg in the village of the same name in the borough of Dassel in Lower Saxony , Germany, is a castle that was built in the 16th century within the Principality of Calenberg . It is currently (2007) in a poor state of repair.
6-468: The castles was built in a marshy depression. It is of the type known as a lowland castle . The Erichsburg was formerly guarded by a wide moat and high ramparts. Next to it was a cultivated outwork ( Vorwerk ). Its predecessor was Hunnesrück Castle , which the counts of Dassel had built in the 13th century. In 1521 during the Hildesheim Diocesan Feud it was bombarded with heavy cannon from
12-724: A type of castle that is situated on a lowland , plain or valley floor, as opposed to one built on higher ground such as a hill spur . The classification is extensively used in Germany where about 34 percent of all castles are of the lowland type. Because lowland castles do not have the defensive advantage of a site on higher ground, sites are chosen that are easy to defend, taking advantage, for example, of rivers, islands in lakes or marshes. Where such natural obstacles do not exist, artificially similar obstacles take on added significance. These include water-filled or dry moats , ramparts , palisades and curtain walls . In order to increase
18-656: The height of the castle above the surrounding terrain, artificial earth mounds may be built (such as mottes ), and fortified towers also fulfil this purpose. Castles of the Early Middle Ages (including Slavic and Saxon castles) often had a narrow, deep ditch and high and steep earth ramparts. Lowland castles are naturally found on plains such as the North German Plain or in the Netherlands , but they may also be encountered occasionally in highlands, for example in
24-604: The heights of Hatop and captured by Eric I together with Henry the Younger of Wolfenbüttel . The destroyed castle lies in the Amtsberge hills north of Dassel and about 3 km west of the Erichsburg on a steep-sided eminence. Today only the remains of walls and ramparts are left. Duke Eric I of Brunswick-Lüneburg had the Erichsburg built between 1527 and 1530. It was named after his son and heir, born in 1528, later Duke Eric II . It
30-736: Was developed for the economic support of the castle into a small estate settlement, the village of Erichsburg which belongs to Dassel. From 1891 to 1980 the Erichsburg was owned by the Hanoverian State Church and housed a theological seminary . Renovations have been carried out. The upper part of the staircase tower ( Treppenturm ) is in a poor condition and numerous repairs are visible. Since 2019, Erichsburg castle has been owned by ADN Investment Group, an investment and development company group based in Germany. Lowland castle The term lowland castle or plains castle ( German : Niederungsburg, Flachlandburg, Tieflandburg ) describes
36-415: Was used by his father, Eric I, for a time as his administrative seat ( Amtssitz ). During the construction, he lived at Hunnesrück Castle about 3 km west of the new castle. Duke Julius of Wolfenbüttel had the castle extended between 1604 and 1612. His master builder was Paul Francke . By 1688 buildings from the original construction phase were demolished due to their dilapidated state. The outworks
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