The headquarters of the Scharpenbergs was the castle Linau (Lynowe), whose remains can still be visited today in Linau.

It is the only castle ruin in southern Holstein. From the former castle, the basement of the round keep, at the height of 3 m, has been preserved. The masonry is 3 m thick and encloses an interior of 4 m diameter. The foundation consists of coarse granite blocks embedded in layers of lime. The superstructure was executed in brick, as the finds of the area prove. The roof was apparently covered with baked roof tiles. When the building was discovered and cleared out in 1824, one found a sword, a lance tip and a wall trowel (whereabouts unknown). From the strong fire debris it was concluded that the castle had been destroyed by fire. The ruin is located in the garden of the farmer at the northern tip of the village and comes from the castle Linau. The monument is in a sad condition. To this day, the intentional removal of the construction continues.


Floor plan of the castle Linau

Model of the castle Linau

View of today's castle ruins
Photo: Reinhard Kraasch
(Click to enlarge)

The ground plan of the castle can be seen in the picture on the right. A model of the castle, made on the basis of existing documents, can be found in the Heimatmuseum Bad Oldesloe (Dr. Klaus-Christoph Baumgarten). The plant is located at the southern tip of a moor and consists of three crests, which are separated by trenches and encircled. The main part of the castle is the middle hill, which has a diameter of 45 - 50 m. It rises 7.3 m above the lowest point of the ditch. On it is the ruin. Separated by a 10 m wide, shallow trench to the northwest in front of a second hill, which is lower in all dimensions. Diameter 25 - 30 m, height 3.6 m above grabensole. East of the main hill lies a plateau of irregular shape. That it still belongs to the area of ??the actual castle, proves the encircling moat. On the other hand, this ditch in the east becomes so narrow that the defensive power has not been great. According to the owner, the floor is completely clean, without debris and residential remains. We refer to this place as a vegetable or orchard of the castle.

Linau was one of the oldest knights castles in the country. When she first encounters us in the story, Linau is already below. The covenant peace, which Lübeck received on January 1, 1291 with several Mecklenburg princes, was also directed against this castle (Lüb UB Bd 1 No. 571 and 572). Linau was destroyed in the same year.

As long as Duke Albrecht III. Lauenburg leads his sharp regiment, was bad time for the knight's aristocracy. But no sooner had he closed his eyes in 1308 than Linau immediately recovered. "Do wart die linowe weder buet, unde des rovendes in deme lande was deghere nenh sture" (Detmar).

The unrest that emanated from Linau was so great that in 1312 even Count Gerhard II von Holstein-Plön, on whose border Linau was located, decided to undertake a campaign against the festivities. "Dessulven iares toch greve gherd de blinde vor die linowe, dar warp he up mit bliden. Do he des huses nicht kunde winnen, do toch de darauf ane vromen" (Detmar). From this message we can close on a quite considerable fortification.

Who lived on Linau, we learn in 1320. There were Ludekin and Heinrich von Scharfenberg (Hasse Vol. 3 No. 428. Also in 1329 (no. 690).

In order to protect his country against the raids from Linau, Count Gerhard II carried out a new plan, which puts the importance and strength of our castle in even brighter light. He built the border fortress Trittau in 1326, "darauf to sturende den van der linowe and anderen des hertoghen mannen van sassen, de in sineme Lande vil dicke rovenden" (Detmar).

In 1341 we hear again from the castle. Ludeke and Hermann von Scharfenberg, Heinen's sons, and Ludeke and Hermann, Ludekens sons, reconcile themselves with the city of Lübeck. They "bekennen un tughen openbare, dat wi us vurbunden hebbet tu erbaren mannen, den ratmannen der stat tu Lubeke, also, dat use hus tu der Lynowe ere unde erer helpere opene slot scal wesen" (Contract of 17 September 1341. Lüb UB. Bd 2 Nr. 729).

What the Holsteiner had by force failed to make the Scharfenberg on Linau harmless, reached the Lauenburg Duke Erich II by negotiation in 1345. The Scharpenberger cousins ??sold the later extended castle Linau to the Lauenburg Duke and received instead the castle Neuhaus at Boizenburg with the country Dertzing. However, as the Scharfenbergs were just as bad about their new property, they had to leave the country in the autumn of the same year. However, they returned and seized 1346 Castle Linau again by force. A document dated August 1, 1348 (Lüb UB Bd 2 No. 906) reports of the raids of Scharfenberg. The Lübeckers have successfully proceeded against the knights of the Linauburg and the Steinhorst. Now the feud is settled. The Scharfenbergs - there are again all four brothers present on Linau, which we met in 1341 - of course promise to abstain from any crime. Furthermore, we have received the list of sins that the city of Hamburg set up against the Scharfenbergs on Linau for the years 1346 to 1349 (Lüb, UB, No. 1, No. 986).

Thus, Linau was once again a knight's castle, when in 1349 the great and final clean up with these steady places of strife took place. The Duke of Lauenburg, Counts Johann von Holstein and Adolf von Schauenburg and the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg had joined forces to form a major land peace. On September 29, 1349, the castle Linau fell after three weeks of bombardment by the Alliance. Furthermore, we hear that in the castle several knights from Mecklenburg had taken their refuge.

Those of Scharpenberg retained their possessions in Linau, but their castle did not rise again.

The history of the castle tells of a two-time construction. The first was in 1291 and was deposited this year. The second one was executed in 1308 and died in 1349. There is no doubt that this second castle, notorious for its strength, was the site whose remains we still recognize today. We are here on a very sure date, which is important to us in particular for the history of the development of the fortifications in Northern Al-Biennia. Another question is that after the construction of 1291. The duration of existence may have been only a very limited one, since at that time those knight's seats first arise. But where was the castle? The view can not be refuted without digging that it is covered by the new building of 1308. Less plausible, even impossible, is the solution of dividing the current findings with its two hills and seeing the older plant in the western part. Such double castles can be found more often. Here it would be incomprehensible why one should not have used the old hill as a welcome preparatory work in the new building. Furthermore, the large moat includes both crests, marking it as a single castle. But there is a third possibility of explanation, which is given preference here. 2km northwest of our facility is a simple castle hill, called the Schlossberg in the Obertauern. It is located on Linauer Boden, as the name suggests, and can only be associated with the strong knight family of the Scharfenbergs, who were based on Linau all the time. Thus, the best solution seems to be to mention Schlossberg as the castle of 1291. The distance does not stand in the way of this interpretation.

Linauer Oberteich


Map Linau
(Click to enlarge)

The Linauer Oberteich, located 2 km northwest of Linau, is today meadows. At the southern edge a small, firm nose jumps into the damp terrain. The top crowns a castle wall, which bears the name Schloßberg.

A keep of 25 m diameter is surrounded by a 10 m wide ditch. In front of it, a wall is showing its greatest strength on the side not covered by moor. Here also protects a second ditch. The Aufwürfe, especially the castle hill, have already suffered considerably by erosion. Around the middle of the castle, Schuchhardt discovered in 1911 a place of residence with a lot of charcoal and gray shards (Lueb Ztsch., Vol. 15 p. 16).


Hall map of 1783

1. Scharpenberg Castle - approx. 1290
(Click to enlarge)

It is a knight's castle. As the name Linauer Oberteich reveals, the area belongs to Linau. The resident Scharfenbergs must also have been masters at this festival. The complex will have been the predecessor of the large castle destroyed in 1349 in Linau. After years of disputes between the Hamburg and Lübeck merchants and the knighthood in the country on January 12, 1291 a peace treaty was closed at the castle fortress at Dutzow am Schaalsee. The knight Marquardus Scarpenberch to Lynowe has defended as a participant in the negotiations, the landlords of the family Scapenberch, but had to agree to break off the castle Lynowe by hand. The trenches were to be scooped up, only the lumber was allowed to be kept.

"Legend has it that in the ramparts of the Linauer Oberteich, the riding ranger, King of Linau, departed in 1763, returning home from hunting with several companions at lunchtime, and gathering many people in traditional dress around a table in the Castle Hill clearly recognized until this phenomenon disappeared again after some time"(Möllner Ztsch. Bd. 1 p. 65).

On the map of Kallenbach from the year 1783 on the Linauer Feldmark the area of the 1st castle (moth) of the Scharpenberg in Linau is still drawn. In the immediate vicinity is a parcel, now called Eichenhorst, Eekenhorst in Low German. The similarity of the name with Eekenhorst, which belongs to the Scharpenbergs, is striking.

On the photo below, the castle hill with the surrounding moat is still clearly visible today.

That the Scarpenberchs did not like the demolition of their castle is to be assumed. So they probably started immediately with the construction of a new, stronger fortified castle under the guidance of a castle builder, which is closer to the place Linau. It is likely that this new festival was continuously being worked on, because such a stronghold could not be erected in a short time. Already in 1306 the big tournament party was invited to Lynowe and so it was written on the invitation (from "Linau", History of a Village, by Erich Kock, p. 25):

Turnierfest in Lynowe DOMINI MCCCVI

To our loved ones and faithful ones in the country RACESBURGH and HOLSTEN.

According to the wishes of our father MARQUARDUS DE SCARPENBERGHE, our new festivals LYNOWE, whose construction is to be completed in Balde, and our new courtyard will be celebrated in a worthy manner at a big summer festival and jousting tournament. After we have had to grind OUR castle on the ECKENHORST for the sake of you, after a long construction time, OUR new, more beautiful residence will now be completed. We are pleased and ask you on this occasion to participate in a big tournament party on the three days after Pentecost and to be OUR guests at the LYNOWE.

We offer you OUR knightly greeting

LUDEKE unde HEYNO DE SCARPENBERGHE
LYNOWE, ANNO DOMINI MCCCCVI