Schloss Ringelheim

Schloss Ringelheim stands beside the Innerste river in Salzgitter-Ringelheim, Lower Saxony. It began in the 10th century as a royal convent and became a Benedictine monastery in 1152. After secularisation in 1803 the estate passed to the Prussian field marshal von der Schulenburg-Kehnert. In 1817 Friedrich von der Decken bought the property and remodelled the former convent into a classical-style manor house. The site is notable for its Baroque abbey church St Abdon und Sennen, home to a fine organ and a crucifix attributed to Bishop Bernward of Hildesheim. The church’s history spans the reign of King Henry I and Queen Matilda through to the monastery’s conversion to Protestant use in the 16th century. Later the manor served as an administration centre for iron-ore mining, then as a sanatorium and hospital before standing empty in recent decades. Beyond the buildings the English landscape park covers about 22 hectares of lakes, lawns and woodland. A sandstone bridge frames views of the castle, while an artificial ruin and an obelisk on an island add romantic touches. The park’s paths lead east to a small wood and south to sports grounds used by local clubs. Each year it hosts the ‘Jazz im Park’ festival, part of a regional series organised by the Braunschweig cultural foundation.