Harburg

Harburg stood on the Süderelbe opposite Hamburg, growing from a castle and a settlement along the causeway that connected its sandy island with firmer ground. From 1527 to 1642 it served as the residence of a junior branch of the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Under Otto II, who ruled from 1549 to 1603, a government chancery and ecclesiastical superintendency were established, although the district never acquired full territorial sovereignty.

The town's fortunes were closely bound to Hamburg's commerce. A long dispute over the Süderelbe led to an Imperial Chamber Court ruling in 1619 confirming free navigation, but Hamburg did not comply. Duke Wilhelm, who received an annual payment from Hamburg, eventually relinquished his claims. His reign also saw a new quarter built on former farmland in 1614. When the ducal branch died out in 1642, Harburg returned to the Celle line and lost its function as a princely residence.