Gerry's Collection
of Antique Wax Seal Stamps
von Wrisberg Family
and the connections with von Görtz-Wrisberg and von Schlitz gen. von Görtz families
The Noble House of von Wrisberg: History, Branches, and Legacy in Lower Saxony and Beyond.
The von Wrisberg family belongs to the Uradel of northern Germany, meaning they descend from the medieval knightly nobility, recorded since the thirteenth century in the bishopric of Hildesheim and the duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
Their estates lay chiefly around Sarstedt, Söhlde, and Nordstemmen, and the family produced councillors, officers, and high-ranking officials in the service of regional princes and, later, the Kingdom of Hanover.
Over time, cadet branches emerged, including the von Görtz-Wrisberg, formed through a seventeenth-century marriage with the von Görtz family. Though never princely, the von Wrisberg stood firmly among the recognized noble houses of Lower Saxony, combining landed wealth with service to the state.
Heinrich August von Wrisberg
Portrait of Rudolph Johann von Wrisberg
Wrisbergholzen Castle in 1810
Arms of the von Wrisberg family on the portal of the St Martin's Church in Brunkensen
Early Origins and Establishment.
The von Wrisberg family is first securely documented in the thirteenth century, in the area between Hildesheim and Hanover. Their name derives from Wrisberg near Söhlde, which was among their earliest possessions. Like many knightly houses of Lower Saxony, they arose as ministeriales, serving the prince-bishops of Hildesheim and the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. By the later Middle Ages, they were firmly integrated into the Ritterschaft, the organized body of landed nobility that played a significant role in the governance of the prince-bishoprics.
During the late medieval centuries, the Wrisberg were typical representatives of the regional gentry: they held local estates, owed military service, and exercised seigneurial rights over villages. Records show their presence in Hildesheim’s cathedral chapter and as participants in regional diets, where the voice of the Ritterschaft was significant in fiscal and political negotiations.
The Early Modern Period: Office and Service.
By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, members of the family were advancing beyond purely local roles. Some served as Hofräte (court councillors) to the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg or to the prince-bishops of Hildesheim. The Reformation and the confessional conflicts of the region did not spare the family; like many other Lower Saxon nobles, branches of the Wrisberg aligned either with Catholic or Lutheran powers, depending on their patrons.
Their estates remained anchored in Lower Saxony, with Nordstemmen and nearby properties serving as focal points. The family also invested in more modern forms of estate management, introducing improved agricultural practices, forestry, and rents. In this respect, they exemplify the adaptation of the landed nobility to early modern economic changes.
The Seventeenth Century and the Union with von Görtz.
A turning point in the family’s history came in the seventeenth century, when a marriage alliance with the von Görtz family created the von Görtz-Wrisberg branch. The Görtz were another noble family of Lower Saxony, with ties to Brunswick and Hildesheim. Through the marriage of a Wrisberg heir with a Görtz heiress, both names and estates were united, and the descendants adopted the double surname.
This was not unusual in German noble practice: when a family risked extinction in the male line, or when an heiress brought substantial property, the name of her house was perpetuated by hyphenation. Thus, the von Görtz-Wrisberg appear from the seventeenth century as a recognized branch, maintaining baronial (Freiherr) status in Hanoverian service.
The creation of this branch also illustrates the strategic marriages of regional nobility: while not rising to princely rank, families like Wrisberg used alliances to consolidate land, preserve names, and strengthen their standing among the knightly elite.
The Eighteenth Century: Enlightenment and Service.
The eighteenth century saw several prominent Wrisberg figures rise to distinction. Perhaps the most notable is Heinrich Ludwig von Wrisberg (1739–1808), who became a Hanoverian minister of justice and a respected legal scholar. His writings influenced German legal thought in the transitional period between natural law traditions and the codifications of the Napoleonic era.
Other members served as officers in the Hanoverian army, which, because of the personal union between Hanover and Great Britain, sometimes placed them in broader European contexts. Hanoverian troops fought alongside the British in continental wars, and nobles like the Wrisberg were represented in this military service.
The Nineteenth Century: Hanover and the Kingdom of Prussia.
The nineteenth century brought upheaval: the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Napoleonic occupation, and later the restoration of the Kingdom of Hanover (1814). The Wrisberg adapted, with some members integrated into the Hanoverian nobility’s administrative and military structures.
When Prussia annexed Hanover in 1866, the Wrisberg, like other Hanoverian nobles, had to adjust to Prussian rule. Many families of similar standing were incorporated into the Prussian House of Lords or held offices in the provincial diets. The Wrisberg preserved their recognition as Freiherren (barons), even if their local political autonomy was diminished under Prussian centralization.
Social Position, family branches, and arms.
Throughout their history, the von Wrisberg exemplify the Uradel of Lower Saxony: not a princely family, but firmly entrenched gentry who combined landed wealth with service to prince and state. Their status was hereditary and recognized within the Ritterschaften, which in the German north often wielded more influence than in other parts of the Holy Roman Empire.
The family coat of arms shows a natural golden pheasant in silver on a green hill. The mantling of the helmet is red-silver or blue-silver, with open wings above it. In the Baltic Coat of Arms, two silver pheasant feathers are depicted as a helmet ornament instead of the wings.​
Their cadet line, the von Görtz-Wrisberg, reinforced their ties to other noble houses and ensured the survival of both names. In parallel, the House of Schlitz gen. von Görtz in Hesse, though independent, shared similar roots. In 1737, Karl Friedrich von Schlitz called von Görtz (1715–1750) indeed married Katharina Eva Sophie von Wrisberg (1721–1769). The von Görtz-Wrisberg branch incorporated heraldic elements of both families, a visible sign of their union. Later on, in 1817, their grandsons Plato, Werner and Moritz were elevated to "Counts of Schlitz called von Görtz and von Wrisberg". This line, which acquired the Limmer manor in 1840, mostly called itself "von Goertz-Wrisberg" and was divided into the branches of Wrisbergholzen with Rittmarshausen and Limmer (extinct in 1986 in the male line, the estates passed on in the female line) and Brunkensen (sold by Albrecht Graf von Görtz-Wrisberg).
Wrisbergholzen Castle.
Schloss Wrisbergholzen - the castle of Wrisbergholzen - was the ancestral residence of the von Wrisberg family, and it remains the architectural centerpiece most closely associated with their name.
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The castle is situated in Wrisbergholzen, today a district of Sibbesse, in the Hildesheim region of Lower Saxony. The estate was tied to the Uradel family von Wrisberg from the Middle Ages onward, and it became their principal seat. The name of the village itself preserves the family’s identity, underlining their rootedness in the region.
The present castle was constructed in the 1720s–30s, commissioned by Ferdinand Andreas von Wrisberg (1678–1755), who was president of the Prince-Bishopric of Hildesheim’s cathedral chapter. He replaced the earlier manor with a Baroque palace complex, designed to reflect both noble prestige and contemporary taste. The building is a three-winged ensemble with a central corps de logis and two side wings. The complex was complemented by gardens and parkland in the Baroque style, intended to display the cultural sophistication and economic standing of the family.
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The most remarkable feature of Schloss Wrisbergholzen is its Porzellanbildersaal (porcelain panel hall). Unique in Germany, it contains over 1,000 glazed ceramic panels, painted in blue on white, in imitation of Chinese porcelain. The subjects include mythological, biblical, and allegorical scenes. This decorative program reflects the fascination with porcelain and chinoiserie in 18th-century aristocratic culture.
The palace remained in the possession of the von Wrisberg family until the 20th century. After the Second World War, like many noble residences, it passed out of family hands and was adapted to new uses, including as a school and cultural venue. Today, though not in private noble ownership, Schloss Wrisbergholzen is recognized as a monument of Lower Saxon Baroque architecture and as a testament to the von Wrisberg family’s former prominence.
Genealogic alliance of the Wrisberg and Schlitz gen. von Görtz families.
Gerry's Collection of Antique Seal Stamps.