Ritzebüttel

Ritzebüttel was a small lordship near the mouth of the Elbe, held by the Lappe family as a fief of Saxe-Lauenburg. In 1337 Wolderich Lappe ruled the territory.

Around 1340 the Lappes built a brick residential tower at Ritzebüttel Castle, guarding the river entrance and a winter harbour. Hamburg besieged the stronghold in 1393; on 31 July 1394 the castle and its lands passed to the city, whose bailiffs governed them for centuries.