It was the residence of the Brunswick dukes for centuries and, today, is part of the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum.

Dankwarderode Castle was built between c. 1160 and 1175 as the Pfalz of Duke Henry the Lion on an island in the river Oker.

The castle lost its military significance as a defensive structure early when it became surrounded completely by the growing city.

[citation needed] During the 15th century, the dukes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel moved their Residenz out of the city and to the nearby town of Wolfenbüttel.

Today the ground floor of Dankwarderode Castle houses the permanent collection of medieval objects from the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum.