Neustadt Travel Guide

According to legend, during the construction of the fortress in the swamps of the Leine, a living child was purposely enclosed in the castle wall. The Duke had insisted on finishing the construction of the walls rapidly, so the sacrifice of the child was superstitiously made to ensure that the walls did not collapse. As no mother in town was willing to give her child away, they finally asked a gypsy who was agreed to hand over her child in exchange for some money. Soon after the sacrifice the mother had a guilty conscience and drowned herself in the waters of the fortress ditch. A relief in the wall remains to inform visitors of this story.

The existence of the Castle Landestrost was first mentioned in documents that date back to 1320. To the best of our knowledge, a fire destroyed the castle in 1573 and it had to be built up again by Duke Erich II. The construction plans originated from Dutch and Italian architects, and as the plans were completed, a mighty fortress of castle and city arose. It was only after the death of Duke Erich II, however, that the construction was completed. To cover the costs, the citizens had to perform trade services and accept an increase in taxes. The first illustration of the castle and the fortress Landestrost comes from the year 1650.
Gradually, some essential architectural changes were performed. A new entrance on the northern side was created, while on the eastern side an old entrance was closed. On the side nearest the river Leine, the original windows were replaced with simple wooden windows and, to a great extent; the originals were kept in the internal courtyard.