Counts of Woldenberg
The counts of Woldenberg, of Wohldenberg, formerly lords of Wöltingerode, were a prosperous noble family of the High Middle Ages situated northwest of the Harz Mountains. They take their name from Wohldenberg Castle, which was constructed between 1153 and 1160. In 1174 they converted their previous ancestral seat, Wöltingerode Castle, into a Benedictine monastery, thereby founding Wöltingerode Abbey. In 1383, their property fell to the Bishopric of Hildesheim on the extinction of the family.