Rumors say that ghosts and bad spirits roamed around here. This is Spökelburg. It is also called Schiffbekerburg or Schleemerburg. Spökelburg means “spook castle.” This early medieval hill castle sits on the Spökelberg in Hamburg-Billstedt.
Let’s delve into its location. The remains of Spökelburg lie on a ridge sloping towards the Bille near Schiffbek. Back then, the Schleemer Bach stream was in the east. It flowed into the Bille southeast of the castle. Today, traffic and buildings dominate the scene. The B5 highway covers part of the Bille.
Imagine the castle in its prime. It had an elongated rectangular shape. One long side curved northeast. It measured about 70 meters by 30 meters. The inner area was about 1250 square meters. Ditches surrounded the inner area and its ring wall. A steep slope on the southwest side secured the site toward the Bille. Today, the remaining walls stand 1.7 to 2.5 meters high.
There is also a mansion. A manufacturer built it in 1869 within the former castle grounds.
Stories about Spökelburg go back to the Middle Ages. People told tales of treasure. In 1688, Hamburg merchant Henning Brand got permission to dig for treasure. Herzog Christian Albrecht von Schleswig-Holstein-Gottdorf granted permission. Brand’s digs in 1688 and 1689 found nothing.
During Napoleon’s occupation of Hamburg from 1806 to 1814, things changed here. A sconce was installed. In 1813, a battery of guns faced the advancing Russian Liberation Army. Russian troops captured Schiffbek in 1814. The sconce and battery were then useless.
The street Schiffbeker Schanze recalls this time.
Louis Georg Carl Ullner built his house in the castle in 1869. In 1876, he opened a wood dyeing factory powered by steam. It was below the castle on the northern bank of the Bille. This started Schiffbek’s industrialization. More industrial areas appeared along the Bille.
The first archaeological dig was in 1880. It found that the walls were made of sand. No finds were recovered. Further digs in 1935 and 1953 also failed. These digs were in areas disturbed by modern changes. There are no concrete clues about the castle’s age. Historical sources do not mention it. Comparisons with other castles point to the 9th to 11th centuries. Its location on a prominent ridge and the trade route were key. The trade route crossed the Schleemer Bach. The castle secured this crossing.
Now, Spökelburg is a protected monument. This includes the villa. The site is also an archaeological monument of Hamburg.