Dankvarderode Castle

Dankvarderode Castle, located on Burgplatz Square in the German city of Braunschweig, was first mentioned in documents of the XII century. Presumably, it was built in 1160-1175 by order of the Duke of Bavarian and Saxon Henry the Lion. Since the XV century here was the residence of the dukes of Baunschweig. The reconstruction of the XVII century affected only part of the ancient castle, which became a vivid example of buildings in the Renaissance style.

In the XIX century, abandoned by the owners of the castle Dankvarderode served as a barracks, and only in 1873, according to the requirements of local residents, it underwent secondary reconstruction. Now guests of the city can see on the site of the once large castle a two-storey mansion made of gray stone with arched windows and a red tiled roof. The decoration of the castle is the entrance in the form of a tower with a balcony and an ancient stone staircase. On the first floor of the castle there is a branch of the Duke Anton Ulrich Museum and the original of the famous statue “The Lion of Braunschweig” is kept. A copy of the statue stands on a pedestal opposite the building. The view of the symbol of the city – the lion – is aimed at the castle, the former residence of local rulers.