Wohldenberg Castle
Description
Wohldenberg Castle is a hilltop ruin near Sillium in Lower Saxony, Germany. Built between 1153 and 1160 by the Counts of Wöltingerode, it sits on a former pagan worship site to Wodan and once guarded key trade routes.
The castle featured an outer and inner bailey, a 32-meter-high keep, thick defensive walls, and a chapel—later replaced by the baroque-style St. Hubertus Church (1731). It was strategically placed above the Nette Valley and controlled access to the Ambergau region.
The castle was destroyed by Henry the Lion in 1180, rebuilt, and later sold to the Bishop of Hildesheim in 1275. Over centuries, it changed hands, was used by robber knights, and suffered damage during the Thirty Years' War in 1641.
By 1800, most of the castle was dismantled. Restoration began in 1858, turning the keep into a viewing tower. The site became a popular destination and housed various institutions, including a vicarage (since 1668), youth center (since 1964), and formerly, a hotel.
Address
Wohldenbergstraße 2, Sillium, Holle, Germany
Established
1153-1160
Wikipedia article