Calenberg

The Calenberg is a hill in central Germany in the Leine depression near Pattensen in the municipality of Schulenburg.

It lies 13 km west of the city of Hildesheim in south Lower Saxony on the edge of the Central Uplands.

It is made from a chalk marl slab (Kalkmergelbank), has a height of 70 m above NN and was formed almost 100 million years ago at the beginning of the Upper Cretaceous series in Cenomanian stage.

The Calenberg became historically important as a result of the fort, stronghold and castle built as the main residence of the House of Hanover.

The syllables Kal, Kalen-, Calen- in the word Calenberg are derived from the word kal in the Middle High German and Middle Low German languages and mean kahl i.e. "bare", "stripped", "unwooded".

It is bordered to the north by the Leine, to the west and south by the state road, Landesstraße 460, and to the east by gravel ponds.

Before the castle was built, the Calenberg hill rose some 10 metres above the water meadows between the river arms of the Leine that existed at that time[5] It covered not just the site of Calenberg Castle, but extended a further 500 metres farther north to the River Leine.

The name Calenberg clearly indicates that the chalk marl stratum was not tree-covered, but stood proud of the Leine meadows as a "bare hill".

[6] At the start of the 16th century the water castle was converted into a manor house (Schloss) and then a fort (Feste).

East of the former labourer's houses, above the moat, was once a large quarry which was established during the construction of Calenberg Castle in order to provide building material.