I'm descended from the Burgdorf family in Germany and 700 years ago we had our own castle in the Harz Mountains.

Historian Georg Bode wrote about this. He described the Ahlsburg ruins in Germany’s Eckerthal valley.

It looks like natural rock, but old, mossy masonry confirms it as a medieval castle ruin. Bode was intrigued. He saw signs of different construction periods and possible fire damage. He wanted to dig, but chose not to.

He believed expert archaeological work was necessary to avoid damaging the site, having seen others make mistakes with amateur digging.

A local timber cutter simply called it "Ahlsburg." Bode couldn't find information about it in 1869, even from local experts. The mystery lingered for years. He studied many chronicles without success.

Then, while searching old imperial archives in Goslar, he found a crucial document. Emperor Charles V issued it in 1357. It granted imperial lands, including "Alerdesstein," to Alard von Burgdorf and his brothers.

Bode realised "Alerdesstein" meant "Alard's Stone." Based on the associated land and "wood sheets," he concluded it described a fortified place – a castle.

He argued the name "Alerdesstein" likely evolved into "Ahlsburg." Further details in the document, like estates near the deserted village of Wollingerode and mentions of "Alerdesholt by der Eckeren" (Alard's Wood by the Ecker) in other records, confirmed the Alsburg's location and its connection to the Burgdorf family.

This research confirmed Ahlsburg was a Burgdorf castle in 1357, part of their extensive imperial fiefs. The Burgdorf family held significant power in the 12th century.

They were high nobility in the Harz region, with imperial lands and rights around Goslar and Harzburg Castle. They first appeared in 1133 as "de Thornthunen," then adopted "von Burgdorf."

Their influence eventually waned. By 1157, Emperor Frederick I placed them under the Dukes of Braunschweig. They lost their direct imperial ties and became part of the lower nobility.

The specific Alard and Heinrich brothers mentioned in the 1357 document belonged to the older, more prominent branch of the family tree.

Bode's discovery illuminates one aspect of Ahlsburg’s history, but much remains unknown. He argued for proper archaeological excavation.

This would help understand the castle's construction, its different periods, full extent, how it was destroyed, and possibly its earlier purpose – perhaps a central point for a mining district. He also highlighted urgency: a proposed railway could disturb the site.

He urged uncovering its past before it's too late. Many historically significant sites in the Harz region, like Wildenstein and Sowische, deserve this expert investigation to tell their stories.

Today the ruins are safe in the Harz National Park.

Harz National Park stretches from a low mountain range near Herzberg in the southern part of the mountains, across the Harz massif to its northern slopes near Bad Harzburg and Ilsenburg.

Harz National Park is virtually uninhabited, but does contain some settlements. Nearly all the land within the park is forested.

The Saxons from the Harz region in Lower Saxony were descendants of the "Old Saxons", the portion of the Saxon tribal confederation that stayed behind on the European mainland when others migrated to Britain.

Burgdorf family today

The Burgdorf family is widespread in the area between the Harz Mountains and the Heide region of the Lower Saxony region.

My family hails from around the village of Groß Lafferde and came to Castlemaine in the early years of the Gold Rush, where they founded a vineyard at Barkers Creek.

The original article is here.

Author: Georg Bode

Publication: Zeitschrift des Harzvereins

Volume: 36th vol. (1903–1904), vol. VII

Pages: 960-106

Introduction by: Carsten Burgdorff