Calvörde Castle Calvörde Castle ( ) is located in Calvörde in the German state of Saxony - Anhalt . Its existence was first recorded in the late 13th century . In the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period it was frequently fought over due to its location between the territories of Brandenburg , Magdeburg and Brunswick . Strategic location . In the areas of the Upper Aller and Ohre rivers , the former medieval principalities of Lüneburg , Altmark , Brunswick , Magdeburg and Halberstadt bordered one another and , in some cases , were even geographically enmeshed . Several noble families made a name for themselves in the area including the Bartenslebens , Alvenslebens and von Schulenburgs . They played an important role as result of their position on either side of these borders . They owned large feudal estates which helped to give them considerable independence for long periods of time . Calvörde formed a key strongpoint in this regard because it lay at the southern end of the formerly impassable marshy forests of the Drömling at a point that used to be the key crossing of the Ohre river that on the road from Brunswick to the southern Altmark . History . Calvörde originally belonged to the counts of Hillersleben , from whom it was inherited by the counts of Regenstein in the Harz mountains . For a long time Brandenburg , Magdeburg and Brunswick fought for the place against the Welf dukes . The little town , along with several nearby villages , belonged to the castle and formed a Brunswick exclave in what later became Prussia n territory . Presumably through a marriage to the inheriting daughter of the von Wederde family , that died out before 1404 and had been the feudal tenants ( " Pfandherren " ) at Calvörde , the barony went to the Alvenslebens of Rogätz Castle . Their two estates in Calvörde and Rogätz complicated the ownership situation . The castellans ( " Burgherren " ) often acted as senior advisors ( " Geheime Räte " ) to their landlords . In 1542 the Schulenburgs succeeded the Alvenslebens as feudal tenants . In 1571 , the House of Brunswick - Wolfenbüttel redeemed the barony again in order to manage it subsequently as an " Amt " . From 1608 to 1615 , Duke Joachim Charles had his court at the castle , becoming a benefactor to the market town of Calvörde . Although the castle had been expanded into a fortress in the 17th century , it fell into ruins not long thereafter . Artist ' s impression . The former appearance of the castle has been preserved in two drawings . These are a Merian copperplate and an even older sketch that is now in the Fatherland Museum of Brunswick ( " Vaterländischen Museum Braunschweig " ) and has been supplements by plans in the Wolfenbüttel state archives . The circular upper ward ( " Oberburg " ) is a group of buildings of various epochs . It was protected by several branches of the River Ohre and accessible over a drawbridge . The courtyard ( " Amtshof " ) , watermill and the star - shaped gardens are representative of its appearance in the 17th century . The road to Gardelegen still runs in a semi - circle on the embankment of the Ohre . The lower part of the round " bergfried " in the centre of the inner courtyard is made of fieldstone , the upper storeys of red brick . It was thus called " de rode Hinrik " ( " the red Henry " ) . The tower bears the Alvensleben coat of arms and contains the dungeon . Above it , on two storeys , are the armouries and the accommodation for the tower keeper . The southeastern side of the site is occupied by the three - storey reception hall ( " Palas " ) with its Gothic staircase tower . On it are the coat of arms of Brunswick and an inscription dated 1590 , the year the castle was renovated by Duke Henry Julius . On the upper floor of the great hall are living quarters , above that the great hall ( " Rittersaal " ) and , in the adjacent wing , the chapel . The castellans ( " Burgmannen " ) were accommodated in the northern part of the site Between that and the gatehouse are the brewery , bakery and granary ( " Kornhaus " ) . The " Zinnenkranz " and spire of the " bergfried " were destroyed in the Thirty Years ' War . Other parts of the castle were demolished in 1737 . In 1828 the castle was sold for demolition , so that the castle buildings have disappeared apart from an insignificant remnant .