…the nearby castle of Harzburg, erected during…

…the nearby castle of Harzburg, erected during the castle building program in Saxony from 1065 to 1068 and strategically sited by Henry himself.

Henry's architect is later the Bishop of Osnabrück, Benno II.

The castle provides protection for the nearby Imperial Palace of Goslar.

Its walls extend right up to the steep face of the conical mountain top.

The castle is impregnable to contemporary forces.

Despite its defensive strength, the castle is also especially palatial.

For example, it contains, among other things, an unusually large, three-roomed great hall and collegiate church, to which Henry has had many relics transferred.

He even has had a sort of family vault built, in which he laid the bones of his brother, Conrad and his son, Henry, both of whom died young.