Ritzebüttel

Ritzebüttel stood near the mouth of the Elbe, where the passage between Hamburg and the North Sea made control of the coast valuable. Its stone castle belonged to the Lappe family until a dispute with Hamburg led to a siege in 1393. The following year the knights sold the castle and their possessions to the city. Hamburg adapted the stronghold for its own officials, raising its tower and making it the seat of the Amt of Ritzebüttel. For centuries this outlying district allowed Hamburg to exercise authority near the entrance to its river.