Portrait of Landestrost Castle

Building history

© L.Gerhardts

One of the largest and oldest castle complexes in the Region Hannover is located in Neustadt am Rübenberge. Duke Erich II of Brunswick-Lüneburg built Landestrost Castle between 1573 and 1584 as a stately residence in the Weser Renaissance style. The three-winged complex was built on the ruins of a medieval castle that burned down in 1563. Duke Erich II assumed the rule of the Principality of Calenberg at the age of 18, but largely left the affairs of state to his first wife, Sidonia, while he spent his time abroad as a mercenary leader in the service of other rulers, for which he was handsomely rewarded.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the income earned from mercenary service was often invested in land and luxurious residences. This led to the construction of several stately castles along the Weser in the style that would later be known as the Weser Renaissance. Duke Erich II had the castles in Uslar (1559, burned down in 1612), Hannoversch-Münden (1562), and Neustadt (1573) built in quick succession. All three castles display distinct stylistic features of Italian and French Renaissance architecture, which Erich II likely encountered during his travels to the Netherlands, France, and Italy.

Landestrost Castle was originally planned as a self-contained four-winged complex, but only the east and north wings were ever completed. The south wing, which dated back to the previous structure, sustained severe damage during the siege and capture of the castle by Tilly’s troops in 1635 and subsequently collapsed. Erich II died in 1584 before Landestrost Castle was completed, leaving no legitimate heirs. After his death, the Principality of Calenberg-Göttingen was reunited with the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel under Duke Julius.

Duke Julius had the construction work on the north wing completed. The castle remained the ducal residence of the Dukes of Lüneburg until 1636. Thereafter, until the formation of the Neustadt am Rübenberge district in 1885, it served as the seat of the district administrator for the Neustadt district. In 1891, the district savings bank was housed in the castle, where it remained until a new building was erected on the site of the old south wing of the castle complex. In 1957–58, another extension was built to house the district administration, which today accommodates the district court and the Neustadt City Library.

Fortress and official garden

© HMTG

The fortifications surrounding the castle and the town of Neustadt, built by Duke Erich II at the same time as the castle, bear traits of Italian and Dutch bastion fortifications. Following the Italian model, solid walls were built with acute-angled bastions and earth ramparts in front of them. Following the Dutch model, entire sections of the ramparts were built from earth, covered with turf and surrounded by a deep moat to increase the distance to the guns.

Even though there was no real enemy threat to the town of Neustadt or the ducal castle at that time, the plan to build a fortification served the duke’s personal interests. The castle and the fortifications were intended to shape the character of Neustadt as the ducal residence. For this reason, between 1574 and his death, Duke Erich II renamed the fortress, the castle, and Neustadt “Landestrost.” The castle hill (“Rouwenberge”), which had already been built up in the Middle Ages, presumably gave the town of Neustadt the nickname “am Rübenberge.”

The southern bastion at the end of the Amtsgarten and an accessible casemate on the south side of the castle still remain from the fortifications. To the north of the castle, in Neustadt's old town, there are still remains of the former fortress wall that once surrounded the town. The so-called "Green Vault", a hornbeam walkway over 250 years old, is located to the south behind the castle in the official garden, which was redesigned according to historical plans.

Hannover Cultural Region Foundation and Team Kultur

Landestrost Castle has been owned by the Hannover Cultural Region Foundation since 1997.

With an endowment of 20 million euros, the Kulturregion Hannover Foundation is one of the largest cultural foundations in northern Germany. It was founded in 1997 by the Kreissparkasse Hannover and the District of Hannover, whose legal successors today are the Sparkasse Hannover and the Region Hannover. Since 1997, Landestrost Castle has belonged to the Kulturregion Hannover Foundation, which counts the preservation and maintenance of the castle among its founding objectives.

The Hannover Cultural Region Foundation operates a permanent exhibition in the palace that documents the palace’s architectural history and the life of its builder, Duke Erich II. The Hannover Cultural Region Foundation rents out the castle’s historic rooms for events such as weddings, conferences, banquets, seminars, and concerts. The castle is also home to the Region Hannover Culture Team, which presents a diverse program of events and concerts year-round on the various stages in and around the castle: Culture in the Castle.

For more information
, contact the Hannover Cultural Region Foundation:
Aegidientorplatz 1, 30159 Hannover
Tel.: 0511 - 3000 14 30
Fax: 0511 - 3000 95 14 30
Email: info@stiftung-kulturregion.de