The series focuses on historical fortifications and noble residences in the area of the city of Salzgitter, which was only founded in 1942. The first conference in October will examine the early and high Middle Ages, the second conference in 2025 will focus on the late Middle Ages and the third in 2026 on the modern era up to around 1900.
The focus will not only be on the monuments that still exist or no longer exist. Their builders and their social backgrounds will also be examined in places, as will the social changes over the course of a millennium. In addition to castles and manor houses, the last of the three conferences will also look at their continuation in rural and middle-class areas in the 19th century. The lectures from the conference series are expected to be published as an accompanying volume in 2027. In 2028, an exhibition on the topic will also be held at the Salder Castle Municipal Museum.
The area of the young city of Salzgitter comprises an ancient cultural landscape criss-crossed by numerous trade routes and military roads. In the early Middle Ages, the area was part of the core region of the East Frankish Empire - as evidenced not least by the palaces of Werla, Goslar and Dahlum. After that, the area was a border region between Guelph and competing territories for centuries. Today's Salzgitter-Bad was important early on due to its salt production. Finally, the natural conditions of the northern Harz foreland, with the Salzgitter mountain range on the one hand and vast arable land on the other, were favorable in various respects. So it is hardly surprising that castles, palaces and manor houses from all eras and all possible builders - be they kings, princes or knights - can be found here today, in the catchment area of centers of power, roads and raw materials. This rich cultural heritage from a millennium of history will be dealt with comprehensively for the first time in the conference series.
The conference is a joint event organized by the city of Salzgitter, the municipal culture department, the Salder Castle Municipal Museum and the Lower Saxony regional group of the German Castle Association. It is generously supported by the Förderkreis Schloss Salder and the Förderverein Burg Lichtenberg.
Participation
Participation in the conference is free of charge. A contribution towards expenses of 15 euros will be charged for lunch and a coffee break on site (binding registration required).
When registering, please indicate the number of participants and whether you would like to take part in the catering. Registration deadline is Monday, October 7 by post or e-mail to:
Städtisches Museum Schloss Salder, Museumstraße 34, 38229 Salzgitter. By e-mail museumstadt.salzgitterde or by telephone 05341 / 839-4619 or -4618 or -4622
Program October 26, 2024:
Topic: Castles of the early and high Middle Ages in the Salzgitter region
11:00 Opening of the conference
11:10 Welcome, introduction
11:30 "The castle before the castle" - Arne Homann M. A. (Salder Castle Municipal Museum)
12:00 Early and high medieval castles (general development and examples in the Salzgitter area) - Dr. Christian Karl Frey (Museum Burg Brome)
12:30 Discussion
13:00 Lunch break
14:00 The northern Harz foreland - A castle landscape of the 10th-12th centuries - Dr. Markus C. Blaich (Lower Saxony State Office for the Preservation of Monuments)
14:30 On high medieval noblemen and ministerials in later Salzgitter - Dr. Gudrun Pischke (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Südniedersächsische Heimatforschung)
15:00 Discussion
15:00 Coffee break
16:00 Case study: Steterburg (The 10th century rampart) - Dr. Michael Geschwinde (Former District Archaeology Braunschweig)
16:30 Case study: Lichtenberg Castle (The early period up to approx. 1250) - Christoph Lücke Dipl. Ing. (City of Salzgitter - Department of Building Regulations and Monument Protection)
17:00 Case study: (Not) a converted residential tower? The pilgrimage church of Engerode - Arne Homann M. A. (Salder Castle Municipal Museum)
17:30 Discussion
18:00 End of the conference
