Steuerwald Castle

Hildesheim, Germany, Germany

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Steuerwald Castle near Hildesheim, Germany, was built between 1310 and 1313 by Bishop Henry III of Woldenberg as a fortified residence to assert power over the rebellious city citizens.

It originally featured a rampart, moat, and the St. Magdalenenkapelle chapel built in 1310 and later expanded with Gothic elements in 1507. The castle served as the bishops’ seat until the 16th century and was repeatedly besieged during the Thirty Years' War, suffering damage in 1632 when taken by Lüneburg troops. Afterward, some castle wings were dismantled likely to reuse materials.

In 1728, Bishop Clemens August of Bavaria remodeled parts of the castle. It lost ecclesiastical ownership during secularization in 1803, becoming a government domain, with parts used as a brewery and later a residential area damaged in World War II. Steuerwald Castle today is owned by the city of Hildesheim and remains an important medieval monument linked to the city's history and its bishops' authority.