Winsen (Luhe) (German pronunciation: [ˌvɪnzn̩ ˈluːə] ⓘ) is the capital of the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
In 1593, Dorothea of Denmark, widow of William the Younger, moved into Winsen Castle and lived there until her death in 1617.
On 1 July 1972, thirteen previously independent villages, Bahlburg, Borstel, Gehrden, Hoopte, Laßrönne, Luhdorf, Pattensen, Rottorf, Roydorf, Sangenstedt, Scharmbeck, Stöckte and Tönnhausen, were incorporated into the town.
[7][8] The castle served long periods of its history as an administrative building and was the seat of Großvögte, Amtmänner and Landräte.
[9] Today, the four-story half-timbered building contains the tourist information centre, the public library, the museum of local history and an event room.
The altarpiece, the baptismal font and the bronze pulpit plates were made by Fritz Fleer.
The Blaufärberhaus (blue-dyer's house) was built on the Luhe island immediately after the great town fire in 1585.
Historic buildings of the old town are situated on the Luhe island, specifically in Deichstraße, Mühlenstraße, Luhestraße, and Kehrwieder.
It was the residence of Edwin von Manteuffel, commander of the Prussian Army in Austro-Prussian War, in 1866.
The ducal watermill was first mentioned in 1385[14] and moved to the southern end of the Luhe island (Mühlenstraße) in 1750.