Hessen | |
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 Location of Hessen (Osterwieck) | |
  Hessen  Hessen | |
| Coordinates:52°1′N10°47′E / 52.017°N 10.783°E /52.017; 10.783 | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Saxony-Anhalt |
| District | Harz |
| Town | Osterwieck |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Vehicle registration | HZ |
| Website | www.fallstein.com |
Hessen, alsoHessen am Fallstein, is a village in theHarz district ofSaxony-Anhalt,Germany. Formerly part of theAue-Fallstein municipal association, it was merged into theOsterwieck municipality on 1 January 2010.
The settlement is situated in the northernHarz foothills, south of theGroßes Bruch lowland, at the northeastern rim of theGroßer Fallstein heights. Located about 24 km (15 mi) northwest ofHalberstadt, about half-way on the road toWolfenbüttel, it borders onWinnigstedt-Mattierzoll,Lower Saxony in the north.
Possibly named after a local chieftain during theSaxon Wars of Charlemagne, awater manor house at the site was first mentioned in an 1129 deed. Temporarily held by the comitalHouse of Regenstein from 1330 onwards, it was rebuilt as a castle namedSchloss Hessen (de), while the surrounding village arose in the 14th century.
The estates were acquired by theWelf dukes ofBrunswick-Lüneburg in 1343, then anexclave within the territory of thePrince-Bishops of Halberstadt on the trade route toLeipzig. Hessen became the residence of theWolfenbüttel crown princeJulius in 1560; his sonHenry Julius was born here in 1564. Large parts of the castle were rebuilt in aRenaissance style with extended parks and gardens. Julius' widow,Hedwig of Brandenburg resided here until her death in 1602. Duke Henry Julius had an organ built for the Hessen castle chapel, finished in 1610, which his widowElizabeth of Denmark donated toFrederiksborg Castle in 1617. Elizabeth likewise lived in Hessen until her death in 1626.
During theThirty Years' War, the village was plundered by both Imperial troops under CountGottfried Heinrich zu Pappenheim in 1628 andSwedish forces in 1641. After the war, the Brunswick dukes used Hessen castle only sporadically as a hunting lodge. The decayed building had to be restored by the ducal master builderHermann Korb from 1726 onwards. By 1790, it served as the centre of a Brunswickdemesne.
AfterWorld War II, Hessen fell to theSoviet occupation zone and became part ofEast Germany in 1949. Located near theinner-German border, the neglected castle complex fell into ruins and parts were demolished in the 1950 and 1970s. The remnants were secured and renovated since thePeaceful Revolution of 1989.
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