Burg Hallermund: A Medieval Hilltop Castle in Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Seat of the County of Hallermund
Burg Hallermund is a medieval hilltop castle in Germany, above Springe, built as the seat of the small County of Hallermund. The counts occupied the castle for only a short period, while they resided in Springe. The castle was first documented in 1189, when Ludolf and Wilbrand of Hallermund pledged it to Bishop Adelog of Hildesheim.
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, disputes with the Welfs, the ruling dynasty that dominated much of northern Germany, steadily reduced the counts’ influence. In 1282, the counts pledged Burg Hallermund to the Welfs. In 1411, all of their privileges passed to the dynasty, and the Hallermund family lost the castle. The family continued to hold extensive lands in the area until it became extinct in 1436.
Spiegelberg Rule and Destruction
In 1386, the Welfs installed the Counts of Spiegelberg as pledge holders. Count Moritz of Spiegelberg later turned the fortification into a robber-knight castle and did not consistently remain loyal to the Welfs.
The Welfs ended this activity during the Spiegelberg Abbey Feud of 1434–1435, a conflict involving the Welfs, the Counts of Spiegelberg, and surrounding towns. Acting for Hanover, Hildesheim, Pattensen, and Münder, Duke Henry the Elder of Brunswick had the castle slighted in 1435. Burg Hallermund was never rebuilt.
Archaeology and Protection
Excavations at the Eselsteich in 1820 recovered objects associated with the castle’s occupants. After looters’ excavation holes were found in the castle area, the Lower Saxony State Office for Monument Protection conducted a large-scale metal-detector survey in 2014. The surviving site lies within the walled Springe Game Park and is protected as an architectural heritage monument of Lower Saxony.
Remains
Summit Castle
Burg Hallermund occupied the steep, conical summit of Hallermundskopf, 218 metres above sea level, where the hill projects from the eastern side of the Kleiner Deister. The castle stood on an oval summit plateau measuring about 50 by 30 metres. The defensive complex probably included a ring wall and a keep, together with a smithy and residential buildings. A castle chapel is documented from 1243.
Surviving physical remains include loose stones, roof-tile fragments, and sections of masonry. Large hollows along the plateau edge probably mark collapsed cellars. Foundation remains beside a steep edge probably belonged to a tower or another building. Immediately below the summit, a ditch and an outer bank encircle the castle area. Young deciduous trees densely cover the plateau, which can currently be crossed only by a path.
Eastern Outpost and Water Supply
A smaller outpost stood about 300 metres east of the main castle. Its surviving remains consist of an earthwork bank.
The Eselsteich lies approximately 200 metres below the castle. The pond was formed by damming the Eselsbach and probably supplied water to Burg Hallermund while also supporting fish farming. It was renovated in 2007 and was full again by 2012.
Archaeological Finds
The 1820 finds from the Eselsteich included horseshoes, masonry fragments, bones, ceramics, iron pieces, and silver and gold jewellery. The 2014 survey recovered crossbow bolts, lead projectiles, horseshoe fragments, ceramic remains, non-ferrous metal objects used in daily life, and clothing fittings such as appliques and buckles.
The coins included a Hildesheim bishopric bracteate from around 1250, a thin, one-sided medieval coin; a fourteenth-century silver hollow pfennig from Hamburg, a light, concave silver coin; and another medieval silver pfennig. Another notable discovery was a triangular Fürspann, a medieval brooch used to fasten clothing, with four inlays made from river mussel shells.
