Hanseatic city of Osterode

Osterode

In 1152, Osterode was reduced to rubble and ashes during a feud between Henry the Lion of the Guelph dynasty and Albrecht the Bear of the Ascania dynasty. Even the garrison at the castle above Sösefurt was unable to prevent the destruction of the village of Osterode. Osterode was not rebuilt on the old settlement site, but in the floodplain near what is now St. Aegidien Market Church. Alongside agriculture, which remained the citizens’ main source of income for centuries, crafts and trade also emerged as important sources of livelihood.

The settlement grew rapidly and was granted town privileges by Duke and Count Palatine Henry as early as the beginning of the 13th century. In addition to market rights and town privileges, which granted self-government and independent jurisdiction, the town council also succeeded in acquiring customs and minting rights. Politically, too, the citizens’ confidence grew in relation to the Guelph rulers; the town thus developed its own ‘foreign policy’, which culminated in its accession to the Hanseatic League.