Location: Germany Lower Saxony Braunschweig
Palace of Henry the Lion on Braunschweig's Burgplatz, rebuilt in Romanesque Revival style in the 19th century – today home to the medieval department of the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum.
Interesting facts
- There is no historical evidence for a Duke Dankward as the castle's namesake.
- The original Brunswick Lion is now kept inside the castle.
- The Knights' Hall is used for events and temporary exhibitions and is otherwise not open to visitors.
Why visit
- The original Brunswick Lion
- Medieval department with the coronation mantle of Otto IV
- Location on the Burgplatz in the centre of Braunschweig
Dankwarderode Castle stands on the Burgplatz in Braunschweig. A fortification of the Brunonen counts already stood on an island in the River Oker here in the 11th century, and the castle is first mentioned in 1134 as “castrum Tanquarderoth”. Henry the Lion developed it into his palace around 1160 to 1175, and it remained the ducal residence until 1282.
After fires, alterations and use as barracks from 1808, the main hall was badly damaged by fire in 1873. Protests by citizens prevented its demolition, and between 1887 and 1906 Ludwig Winter rebuilt it in Romanesque Revival style. In the Second World War a bomb destroyed large parts of the Knights’ Hall, which was restored from original models in the early 1990s.
Since 1963 the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum has shown its medieval department in the ground-floor hall, including the original Brunswick Lion and the coronation mantle of Otto IV.
History
Fortification of the Brunonen in the 11th century; first mentioned in 1134; developed into the palace of Henry the Lion around 1160–1175; fire in 1252; ducal residence until 1282; main hall remodelled in Renaissance style 1616–1640; barracks from 1808; fire in 1873; rebuilt by Ludwig Winter 1887–1906; badly damaged in the Second World War.
Special features
Romanesque Revival main hall after Ludwig Winter. The ground-floor hall houses the medieval department of the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum; above it is the Knights' Hall with wall paintings restored from original models.
Map
Opens an external route planner. Please check access and opening times before you set off.
Nearby
Brunswick Palace
Braunschweig, Lower Saxony
0.3 km away
Reconstructed façade of the classicist residence of the Dukes of Brunswick – today with a quadriga, the palace museum, the city library and a shopping centre.
Route
Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum
Braunschweig, Lower Saxony
0.6 km away
Art museum in Braunschweig, opened in 1754 as one of the first public museums in Germany – with works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens and Giorgione.
Route
Sources
Image: Stefan Schäfer, Lich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
