Anyone who has the pleasure of spending pleasant summer days in the wooded Harzburg8 or nearby, enjoying a refreshing break from the stressful business of work, will hardly fail to take a walk in the magnificent Eckerthal valley to enjoy the unique beauty of this valley and its mountain formations. Once you have taken the path up the valley from the Eckerkruge to take a refreshing rest at the cozy Molkenhaus further along the way, the hiker’s eye is soon drawn to a strange rock formation that rises abruptly from the valley floor on the left, eastern side of the valley, after the valley has narrowed more and more due to the approaching mountain walls. An attentive look, however, immediately reveals that the natural cracks and crevices in the rocks are partially closed by old mossy masonry built by human hands. Anyone who then approaches this structure more closely and does not shy away from a short climb from one ledge of the rocks to another will, if they have some knowledge of the area, easily convince themselves that they are dealing with the ruins of a medieval castle artificially walled into the natural rocks. However, I do not want to reveal at this point what I had in mind on closer inspection of the old walls with regard to the time of their construction and their significance, purpose and extent. My opinion might seem premature. This is all the more so because I believe I have come to realize more and more during my frequent visits to this old fortified site that this inconspicuous ruin is perhaps a highly interesting site for the history of our Harz homeland, the nature of which requires more serious and, in particular, expert investigation.

I will confess that I was tempted to poke around in the walls and rubble in order to arrive at results that might be of interest in one direction or another, since on closer examination I was in doubt as to whether the remains of the walls dated back to different periods, whether here and there in the rubble something was coming to light that looked like a layer of fire; but I restrained my desire and my thirst for action in the consideration that a one-sided digging and puddling9 could easily cause more damage on the scientific side than the extent of my drilling into the old site could amount to. Yes, I thought, in our dear Harz so much has already been sinned in this respect by one-sided and not in every direction expert work, you should at least keep yourself free from this sin. Here it is necessary that renowned expert, trained forces lend a hand in this direction. The tall figure of my dear neighbor and colleague in the presidency of our association came before my soul as a reminder. And I left without puddling.

The old lazy lumberjack who was clearing wood nearby said nothing more in response to my question as to what this old fortress was: Alsburg. Yes, I had heard of the Alsburg, also spelled Ahlsburg, but I didn’t know what it was. But I wanted to know what it was all about. So I hurried to Wernigerode to the princely library, currently still the count’s library, to ask the Harz oracle in the form of the friendly, wise “Harzmann” there, who knows everything that others don’t, and now about this old building on princely Stolberg-Wernigerode land. He had to know that. But for this time the otherwise infallible oracle failed. He said many things, but I got the impression that he had not yet found the solution as to what Alsburg actually was. That was in 1869, and the thought of the Alsburg never left my mind. I pored over thick chronicles without success. I remained as wise as the former count’s archivist and librarian Delius, who is widely known as an expert and specialist, who in his well-known book: Untersuchungen über die Geschichte der Harzburg p. 291 states: “It is called the Hasselburg, but nobody knows anything about it, any more than about its sister, the Alsburg, which is situated an hour further up the valley on the Wernigerode side.”

Many years have passed since then. During this time, I have often stood in front of the old walls pondering. But the solution to its history eluded me, even though I often tried to find out a grain of information about the Alsburg’s origins from the writings of my ancestors. All my striving for knowledge was in vain.

But the unexpected often happens, as the old saying goes. When I was searching through the scattered treasures of the former archives of the imperial foundations of the old imperial city of Goslar, I came across an original document of Emperor Charles V (i.e. Karl V.), issued at Weißenwasser on November 9, 1357, according to which the emperor lent imperial estates to Alard von Burgdorf and his brothers Alard and Henry (i.e. Heinrich), among the documents scattered to Göttingen in the diplomatic apparatus of the university and relating to the history of Goslar. This document has of course already been entered by Falke in the codex. Corbejens. p. 948, cf. Böhmer-Holder reg. imp. Karl IV. no. 2725, but its content has so far been overlooked or at least not recognized in the part of interest here.

According to the contents of this imperial feudal charter, the brothers von Burgdorf are granted by the Emperor as an imperial fief, in addition to 14 hooves of land and the church fief at Werlde, i.e. to the now desolate parish village of Werla near the old imperial palace of that name, and a large number of estates in and near Burgdorf, in particular also the following estates and goods: 17 pounds of imperial pennies in the bailiwick of Goslar and 3 houses there; furthermore “four wood sheets10 and another half of the hube11 near Wollingherode, which belong to the Alerdesstein, zwen hofe zu den Nyenstat undir der Hartsborg” and other goods more.

As soon as I read the words: to the Alerdesstein, the thought came to me that the Alerdesstein is the Alsburg. The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced of it. Alerdesstein can mean nothing other than the stone or rock named after an Alerd, i.e. Adelhard, shortened to Alard. In this case, the Alerdesstein is a residential and economic place, since usable goods, pieces of wood and field hooves are named as belonging to it, as its economic accessories. As a rule, however, the ending -stein means a fortified settlement, because the rocky elevation to which the name -stein refers was settled in the insecure times of the Middle Ages for the reason of obtaining protection from attacks through the local steep slope. The settled stone was therefore used for protection, and when its natural defenses were reinforced by artificial devices, walls or administration, it served as a castle. The settled and fortified Alerdesstein is therefore Adelhard’s or Alerd’s castle. Alerdesstein is therefore the same as Alerdesburg. It must be admitted, however, that over the centuries Alerdesburg may have evolved into the more extensive form of Alesburg and Alsburg.

The location of the Alerdesstein mentioned in the imperial document of 1357 is now more precisely determined by the other contents of the document. First of all, the Alardesstein12 must have been situated in a densely wooded area, as 4 wooden areas13 regarded as its accessories. But it must also have been located near or in the Harz forest, as 1½ Hufen near Wollingerode are mentioned as a distant accessory. However, the location of the deserted village of Wollingerode is well enough known.14 The village, which only became deserted after the middle of the 15th century, lay not far below Ilsenburg on the western side of the Ilse. Its land stretched to the west, in the direction of the Ecker. According to the record of the fiefdoms of the county of Wernigerode cited by Jacobs in the Zeitschr. des Harzvereins Jahrg. 1870 p.12, the Elendshof, which used to be located above the present Eckerkrug in the Eckerthal, is the next still occupied dwelling immediately after Wollingerode. The Alerdesstein must have been located in the vicinity of this deserted Wollingerode, as estates near that place are mentioned as appurtenances of the castle mentioned. However, an Alerdesstein is not known in the vicinity of the site of the deserted Wollingerode. However, since it was still really present near Wollingerode in 1357 as a special estate with economic appurtenances, it is all the easier to identify Alsburg, which is very close to the deserted Wollingerode, with the Alerdesstein, since, as already emphasized, the first syllable of the word Alesburg must also lead back to the first name Alerd and the second syllable burg denotes the same property as the meaning of the second syllable in the word Alerdesstein, namely the fortified dwelling place. In addition, there are also pieces of forest in the vicinity of the Alsburg, as such are also named as accessories of the Alerdesstein in the feudal charter.

I had sent the above remarks to my dear friend in Wernigerode mentioned above for his appreciation when I was immediately informed by him that I had found the right solution. Yes, he knew much more about the Alsburg than I did, he proved the well-known reputation. With reference to Göthe’s15 word

Do you want to wander in the distance,
See, the good is so near

he pointed to the documents:

  • Ilsenburg U.B. No. 265 dated July 25, 1402
  • Ilsenburg U.B. No. 265 dated Nov. 23, 1402
  • Ilsenburg U.B. No. 709 dated March 31, 1566
  • Ilsenburger U.B. vol. II p. 408 from 1496

The content of these documents states:

On July 25, 1402, Alert van Borchtorpe endowed the Ilsenburg monastery for his salvation with veer holtblecke und anderehalve hoffen by dem dorpe tho Wollyngrode, de de horen tho deme Allersteyne, de Hans Stysies van mek hadde udde eck van neymande heren hadde noch alle mine elderen, wen wan deme ryke.

According to the contents of the deed of November 23, Hans Sties leaves these estates to the monastery, which are described here as “vir holtblecke und anderehalve hove by deme dorpe to Wolingerode, de de horden to deme Allerdstene, unde ik hadde dat vorbenomede gut von Alerde von Borchdorpe to eneme menliknem lene.”

The location of the 4 “Holzbleke” mentioned here is then given in more detail:

Dat ene holt dat lid under deme Alerdstene, dat ander bi deme Senebeke, dat dridde by deme stighe, dy von der Stapelborch, gheyt to Wolingerode, dat virde by deme cruseweghe boben Veckenstede.

On March 31, 1566, Ilsenburg Abbey pledged the use of the Alesholz wood to Franz vom Damme from monastery Holzfleck for 29 years in return for a cash payment. In addition, there is the note printed under this document (No. 709), according to which Franz vom Damme, citizen of Brunswick, confessed on April 7, 1566 that he had “purchased and paid cash from Ilsenburg Abbey for a wood, called Allesholdt, bi der Ecker im furstendomh Brunsswiek belegen, up negenn under twintich jair to gebruken to behoff unsser isserhitten under deit Hartborch.”

Finally (vol. II p. 408) in the list of the possessions of Ilsenburg Abbey from 1496 states: “Dat Alerdesholt by der Eckeren.”

These documents speak a very clear language. First of all, it is clear from them that they are the same components that are described here and in the imperial fief letter of November 9, 1357. The 4 wood plots (“Holzbleke”) and 1½ hooves of land at Wollingerode belonging to the Alerdessteine were lent by the von Burgdorfs to the Stieses, a Wernigerode family of servants, as an after-fief. The entire estate came to Ilsenburg Abbey in 1402 through a grant by the fief holder and the after-fief holder. However, the wording of the deed of November 23, 1402 concerning the location of the 4 wood plots (“Holzbleke”) belonging to the Alerdesstein indicates that one of them was located under deme Alerdestene. However, this same wood is called dat Alerdesholt by der Eckeren in the Ilsenburg property register of 1496. It is also the same wood that is called the Alesholtz in the document of 1566 and dat Allesholdt bi der Ecker in the confessional document of the same year.

Now if this “Holzblek”, the accessory of the Alerdesstein, was situated on the Ecker, and if it was also situated under dem Alerdesstein, then the Alerdesstein itself must also have been situated on the Ecker. Then, however, the assumption that the Alsburg is to be found in the Alerdesstein should not only be a well-founded assumption, but rather full proof that the Alsburg is the old imperial castle, which was formerly called Alerdesstein.

If these statements are correct, then a castle belonging to the highly respected von Burgdorf dynasty, well known in the history of the Harz, has been found in the ruined Alsburg in the valley of the Ecker. Together with its appurtenances, it was part of the rich fiefs that this respected family held in fief from the empire.

It may not be unwelcome to touch briefly on the history of the lords of the castle. The von Burgdorf family appears relatively early in the Harz historical sources. It originally belonged to the higher nobility; its members are regularly listed among the liberi et nobiles in the course of the 12th century, especially when they are named as witnesses in the documents of spiritual and secular lords; they were noblemen. In the land off the northern edge of the Harz Mountains, the dynasty held an excellent position of power due to its rich possessions, which were primarily based on the rich fiefdom of imperial property. The still considerable imperial fiefs mentioned in the aforementioned imperial feudal letters of 1357 are only a remnant of the earlier more important ones, which were considerably reduced by hardship and pressure in troubled times and the resulting sale, and only that part which the current older line of the dynasty possessed from the empire. In older times, the power of the dynasty was based in particular on the rich holdings of property and rights which the family possessed in the area around Goslar.

Among the various bailiwick rights held by the family, the bailiwick over the estates of St. Georgenberg Abbey near Goslar was an estate of considerable importance. The family’s rich estates also extended eastwards along the edge of the Harz Mountains, particularly in the vicinity of Harzburg Castle, where the family itself was entitled to one of the larger castle leases as an imperial fief. However, the splendor of the dynasty and its importance declined early on. The decline began in the course of the 12th century, at least in the younger line, which started from the younger of the two brothers Arnold and Lüdiger mentioned first. This younger line became completely impoverished and can no longer be traced in the documents. But the older line, descended from the older of the two brothers who first became known, from Arnold, also experienced a certain downgrading as early as 1157, when it was removed from its direct relationship to the emperor and the empire as free and noble imperial ministers, when Emperor Frederick I exchanged his imperial minister Adelhard von Burgdorf, Arnold’s son, together with his children and all his personal property and the imperial fiefs to Duke Henry the Lion (Origines Guell. III, p. 44 fg.). The family was subsequently unable to maintain its privileged position; by the fourth generation, its members were completely absorbed into the service of the Dukes of Braunschweig, without occupying a particularly privileged position within it. They sank completely into the lower nobility, losing their former privileged position.

When they first appeared in 1133, the two brothers Arnold and Lüdiger first called themselves de Thornthunen after their rich property in Dörnten (district of Goslar) from this place, but soon afterwards, perhaps as a result of a new castle complex or because they had moved the center of their activity there, from the place Burgdorf16 near Schladen to this place, which name then remained the sole and permanent name for and their descendants.

On the basis of the extensive publications of the documents belonging to the family’s homeland, the lineage is essentially clear and certain as far as the older line of the family is concerned. Arnold I’s son Adelhard I (1151–1178) is a prominent figure in the history of the Harz lands. Adelhard I’s son Arnold II is also frequently mentioned in the documents from 1176 to 1200. His son Alard II, who can be traced in documents from 1209 to 1245, is somewhat less prominent. The sons of this second Alard, apart from Arnold III, who is definitely mentioned in documents as the son of Alard II but seems to have died early, are the brothers Heinrich I and Alverich II, who became the founders of two branches of the older line. Their descendants appear during the period up to the middle of the 13th century until the end of the 14th century in very prolific offspring. They maintained close relations with the town of Goslar and the ecclesiastical foundations there, which have left behind a wealth of documents, as can be seen from the contents of the documents relating to Goslar and its foundations. The brothers Alard VII, Alard VIII and Heinrich IV named in the imperial feudal charter of 1337 discussed here belong to the older branch of the older line of von Burgdorf. They were sons of Heinrich III and great-grandsons of the founder of this branch, Heinrich I.

The lineage of the younger line descending from Alverich I is not as certain as that of the older line. The members of the younger line appear very rarely in the historical sources. There was also no sufficient reason to do so, since the founder of the line and his sons had already sold the ancestral family estate belonging to them, as far as it lay before the Harz. Apparently, however, hereditary property or imperial fiefs in the Harz forest had remained in the possession of this line, since the Lords von Burgdorf, who are to be regarded as belonging to this younger line, appear as heirs of the forest in important documents concerning the forest, namely in the well-known mining ordinance of Duke Albrecht of Brunswick for the Harz of April 25, 1271 and the document of Duke Heinrich of Brunswick of June 15, 1290 on the leaving of forest property in the Harz (Bode, U.-B. Goslar II, No. 169 and No. 393).

The family tree of the von Burgdorf family up to the appearance of the members in question here: Alard VII, Alard VIII and Heinrich IV is attached.

If I believe I have proved in the above that Alsburg Castle can be regarded as a castle belonging to the von Burgdorf family in 1357, then this only sheds light on a single point concerning the history of this interesting site. It should be all the more time to shed light on other facts important for the history of the old castle site, which historical science itself cannot help to shed light on, at least not in a direct way, with the help of related archeological science. At least an attempt should be made to gain a complete understanding of the historical significance of this ancient castle by this means. In this respect, much can possibly be gained from a truly expert excavation, even for historical questions. If the statements are correct and the Alerdesstein or the present Alsburg was a castle of the Lords von Burgdorf in 1357, then we only know this one fact without having any information about the duration of this relationship. From the findings of an expert examination of the existing remains, however, we could probably obtain information about the time of its construction, about any different construction periods, about the extent and thus about the nature and significance of the complex, about the nature of its destruction and other important circumstances. The possibility cannot be ruled out that a careful, expert investigation could unearth finds which could also be significant for the history of the locality before the castle was built. In the case of this old castle site in particular, it could also be possible to clarify through any finds whether a central point of protection for a mining district of the early or later Middle Ages, which was directed from this site, can be found in the complex itself or in an earlier structure.

There are several similar sites in the Harz Mountains. First of all, there is Wildenstein, the ancestral home of the powerful von Wildenstein and von Goslar families, who have been prominent in the history of the northern Harz. The castle was situated in the Oker valley, on the west side of the Oker below the Eichenberg; its location is precisely indicated on the old map included in the 1870 edition of the Harz-Verein magazine. It formed the protective castle for the important mining district around it and for the important forest march („Waldmark“), which belonged to the von Wildenstein and von Goslar families. The same relationship existed with regard to the stronghold of the equally rich and powerful von der Sowische family, which was located in the middle of the forest towards the Innerste and formed the center of construction and metallurgy in the Waldmark, which was ruled by the von Sowische family. The ancestral castle of the von dem Dike family in the mountain village in front of the Rammelsberg was connected with mining law. It formed the center for the so-called small court, in which the miners were mainly resident; on its courtyard was the court of this court.

It is possible that similar relationships also prevailed with regard to the old castle in the Ecker valley, the Alerdesstein or Alsburg. In any case, the Lords von Burgdorf, like the Lords of Wildenstein, of Goslar, of the Sowische and of the Dike, had close ties to the forest; like the latter families, the Lords von Burgdorf also belonged to the originally free and noble families who had close ties to the emperor and the empire and were endowed with rich fiefs from the wealth of the empire.

I would like to use these lines to encourage you to try to help local historical research to a greater extent than has been done so far by investigating and excavating historically important sites. There is no need for delay in this respect, because there is a danger that new excavations at historically important sites will, unless a fully competent hand takes over, remove important traces forever, from which valuable conclusions can be drawn. The valley of the Ecker is already facing a new construction that will unfortunately disturb the quiet peace of this beautiful valley: a railroad. Will it also touch the ruins of Alsburg Castle?17 If so, it would be better if we got to work as soon as possible to unearth the witnesses to its past that may be slumbering at its feet before it is too late. But I am of the opinion that in order to arouse interest in our endeavors in the widest possible circles, and also to expand our knowledge of the history of our native soil in the most detailed way possible, we must not only publish documents and use our pens everywhere in our circle of interest, but also make the witnesses of prehistoric times, which sleep under rubble, bushes and stones, speak. Everywhere in the country, and especially in the Harz itself, there are such places that will be rewarding to uncover. Our noble ruin, the old house of our kings and emperors near Goslar, has been happily resurrected thanks to our own initiative and energy. But we have so far completely forgotten that the palace at Goslar still has a mother whose remains have almost disappeared from the face of the earth, the older palace of Werla. Shouldn’t it be a rewarding task to investigate the history of the oldest palace in our country with pick and shovel?18 We won’t be able to conjure up an imperial house from the ruins here. But it is certainly worth the effort to take a closer look at what the old palace was like, about whose fate the documentary sources provide only insufficient information. Wide circles would be interested in this. I am all the more entitled to act as an advocate for the old royal palatinate at this point, as its land is also mentioned in the imperial feudal charter for the von Burgdorfs that I have discussed. 14 Hufen and the church fief at Werlde were fiefs of the Lords von Burgdorf. Thus also a church village near the Palatinate. Like the Palatinate, the village and church have also disappeared.

A hearty „harzliches Glückauf!“ for the first cut with a spate at this classic location!