Stapelburg Castle
Encyclopedia
The Stapelburg is a ruined mediæeval castle built to guard the road on the northern edge of the Harz mountains at Stapelburg
in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
.
to guard the military road that connected the counts' main ancestral castle with the imperial and mining town of Goslar
. It also acted as a toll station. The castle was enfeoffed several times and in 1394 came into the possession of the Diocese of Halberstadt
for a sum of 600 marks
. On 25 January 1432, Count Botho of Stolberg accepted Stapelburg Castle and its estate from Bishop John of Halberstadt as a pledge, after it should have been previously enfeoffed to the last Wernigerode count who had died in 1429. But Stapelburg was redeemed again by the Diocese of Halberstadt and pledged to Heinrich von Bila, who was the last vassal before Stapelburg was enfeoffed by Bishop Gebhard von Halberstadt on 4 June 1463 for 200 Rhenish guilders to Count Henry the Elder of Stolberg for the duration of his life - that is until 1511. During his final years the castle fell somewhat into ruin. On 13 April 1509 the aging Count Botho and his son committed to the administrator of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, Archbishop Ernest of Magdeburg, to rebuild the dilapidated castle within eight years, so that a nobleman or steward could have his seat there. As a result the count of Stolberg and his son were enfeoffed with the Stapelburg.
In 1559 Archbishop Sigismund of Magdeburg
, as the administrator of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, installed an influential member of the family of Bila, former Halberstadt councillor, Dr. Heinrich von Bila, who worked as an associate judge on the Imperial Chamber Court, in the Stapelburg, against the will of the heavily indebted counts of Stolberg. He expanded the castle and had the outlying estate of Bilenshausen or Bilashausen laid out at its foot. In the immediate vicinity of this outwork a rural settlement grew up that also adopted the name Stapelburg. The heirs of Dr. von Bila sold the castle and village of Stapelburg in 1596 for 45,000 talers to Statius von Munchausen. After Statius' bankruptcy in 1619 possession of the castle went again in 1625 to Halberstadt Cathedral
. After long negotiations with the cathedral chapter of Halberstadt, Count Christian Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode
who succeeded, in a Berlin agreement on 11 March 1722, in securing Stapelburg permanently as an appurtenance of the County of Wernigerode
for the next few centuries. King Frederick William I of Prussia restored its old connection with the County of Wernigerode on 11 December 1727 by removing the territorial claims of the now Prussian Halberstadt Cathedral Chapter.
Stapelburg
Stapelburg is a village and a former municipality in the district of Harz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the municipality Nordharz....
in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
.
History
The Stapelburg was built before 1306 by the Counts of WernigerodeWernigerode
Wernigerode is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,500 in 1999....
to guard the military road that connected the counts' main ancestral castle with the imperial and mining town of Goslar
Goslar
Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-Geography:Goslar is situated at the...
. It also acted as a toll station. The castle was enfeoffed several times and in 1394 came into the possession of the Diocese of Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
for a sum of 600 marks
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
. On 25 January 1432, Count Botho of Stolberg accepted Stapelburg Castle and its estate from Bishop John of Halberstadt as a pledge, after it should have been previously enfeoffed to the last Wernigerode count who had died in 1429. But Stapelburg was redeemed again by the Diocese of Halberstadt and pledged to Heinrich von Bila, who was the last vassal before Stapelburg was enfeoffed by Bishop Gebhard von Halberstadt on 4 June 1463 for 200 Rhenish guilders to Count Henry the Elder of Stolberg for the duration of his life - that is until 1511. During his final years the castle fell somewhat into ruin. On 13 April 1509 the aging Count Botho and his son committed to the administrator of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, Archbishop Ernest of Magdeburg, to rebuild the dilapidated castle within eight years, so that a nobleman or steward could have his seat there. As a result the count of Stolberg and his son were enfeoffed with the Stapelburg.
In 1559 Archbishop Sigismund of Magdeburg
Sigismund of Brandenburg
Sigismund of Brandenburg was Archbishop of Magdeburg and Bishop of Halberstadt.- Life :Sigismund was born on 11 December 1538 in Berlin; the son of the Elector of Brandenburg, Joachim II , from his second marriage to Hedwig , daughter of King Sigismund I of Poland...
, as the administrator of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, installed an influential member of the family of Bila, former Halberstadt councillor, Dr. Heinrich von Bila, who worked as an associate judge on the Imperial Chamber Court, in the Stapelburg, against the will of the heavily indebted counts of Stolberg. He expanded the castle and had the outlying estate of Bilenshausen or Bilashausen laid out at its foot. In the immediate vicinity of this outwork a rural settlement grew up that also adopted the name Stapelburg. The heirs of Dr. von Bila sold the castle and village of Stapelburg in 1596 for 45,000 talers to Statius von Munchausen. After Statius' bankruptcy in 1619 possession of the castle went again in 1625 to Halberstadt Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
. After long negotiations with the cathedral chapter of Halberstadt, Count Christian Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode
Christian Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode
Count Christian Ernest of Stolberg-Wernigerode was a German politician. He ruled the County of Wernigerode in the Harz mountains, which in 1714 became a dependency of Brandenburg-Prussia, from 1710 to 1771.- Life :Christian Ernest was the tenth child from the second marriage of Count Ludwig...
who succeeded, in a Berlin agreement on 11 March 1722, in securing Stapelburg permanently as an appurtenance of the County of Wernigerode
County of Wernigerode
The County of Wernigerode was a county of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Harzgau region of the former Duchy of Saxony, at the northern foot of the Harz mountain range...
for the next few centuries. King Frederick William I of Prussia restored its old connection with the County of Wernigerode on 11 December 1727 by removing the territorial claims of the now Prussian Halberstadt Cathedral Chapter.
See also
- List of castles in Saxony-Anhalt
- Drawing of the castle by Wolfgang Braun