Stone house Bunderhee

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stone house Bunderhee
South side of the Bunderhee stone house

South side of the Bunderhee stone house

Creation time : 14th Century
Conservation status: Receive
Place: Bunderhee
Geographical location 53 ° 11 '57.1 "  N , 7 ° 16' 59.3"  E Coordinates: 53 ° 11 '57.1 "  N , 7 ° 16' 59.3"  E
Steinhaus Bunderhee (Lower Saxony)
Stone house Bunderhee

The Bunderhee stone house is one of the oldest preserved castles in East Friesland . The three-story medieval tower castle in Bunderhee from the 14th century was the seat of the chief and has remained unchanged in its basic structure. The baroque extension in the west was completed in 1735. The stone house Bunderhee is located in the district of Leer , 2 km northeast of Bunde in the Rheiderland .

history

Tower from the southeast

The stone house is located at the extreme northern edge of a 5 m high Geest ridge which extends over league, and originally belonged politically to this place.

According to oral tradition, the beginnings of the Bunderhee stone house go back to the 9th to 10th centuries. There is evidence of the work of the chief Gala Nommcka (Okkel Noneka) in Bunde in 1391. A connection with the stone house has not yet been clarified. This also applies to the federal chief Luwert Saninga (Sanninge), who was attested in 1448 and 1463.

As far as we know, the tower castle dates from the 14th century. The three-storey complex was initially only used as a shelter and storage facility and not as living space. Since the construction of high stone houses was forbidden according to the Brokmer Letter , which was still the valid Frisian legal basis in the 14th century , the local chiefs must have had special privileges here. So it says in the law book:

"The brokmen make this a law that there may be no castles and no walls and no tall stone houses with (a fine of) eight marks ... Any stone house is built higher than twelve rod feet high in the square, and a cellar over two compartments if it is enough in a square, the one to whom it belongs will pay eight marks. "

- Brokmer Law, § 150

There was probably a well in the original complex. The old access to the first floor was 3 m high on the east side and could only be entered via ladders. Like the originally very small windows, this indicates the defensive function of the building.

East Frisia around 1600, drawn by Ubbo Emmius

Archaeological excavations in 1977 and exploratory drilling in 1999 have confirmed that there was a water connection between the Steinhausgraben and the Dollart north of the Steinhausgraben . A 5.5 m wide and 1.2 m deep dry trench from earlier times was proven, which enclosed the stone house from the west, north and east, but its origin is still unclear. A more recent trench could be linked to the advance of the Dollart to the Bunder Geest at the beginning of the 15th century. This trench was the last branch of a waterway, so that ships could dock in Bunderhee. Ubbo Emmius shows on his map of East Friesland northwest of Bunde at the height of "Hochee" (Bunderhee) the small island Jarde (n), which offered refugees protection. This access to the sea was lost at the latest with the poldering in 1707. Today's pond with a hill on the north side is not a remnant of this ditch, as was long suspected, but is due to the garden design at the end of the 19th century.

When times became more peaceful in the 16th century, the stone house was converted into a residential building by enlarging the window on the east side on the first floor around 1500 and adding a late Gothic open fireplace and an altar niche. In the course of a new roof, the stone house received its current upper end. Towards the end of the 16th century, the altar niche on the first floor was converted into a window. The second floor was fitted with an asymmetrical Renaissance chimney and additional windows were built in. In addition, the tower building was given stairs, since access to the second floor and the attic was previously only possible via ladders.

Petrus Ficinus († 1623) from Geldern was the owner of the stone house from 1595 and was in the service of the Counts of East Frisia . In 1599, Count Enno II granted the stone house noble freedom. The building was leased from 1600. Ficinus' daughter Katharina Ficinus married Tiberias van Heteren from Geldern. Various traces indicate that access to the west was made in the 17th century through a small annex.

Building inscription on the west side of the baroque extension

After the water access was no longer possible, Johannes van Heteren built a comfortable single-storey residential building in the baroque style on the western side in 1712 . The suspected attached tower access in the west gave way to the "new house". In 1735 the renovation work was completed. A building inscription on the west wall testifies to the laying of the foundation stone: "Dit Hius is built by Johannes von Heteren as men Schref na De Heilsame born of our army Jesus Christy het year 1712 end is hyr vonaldo on April 28th De Eerste Steen".

The tower house became the rear building, from then on served again as a storage room and was spared any changes. The van Heteren family lived in the building until the end of the 19th century and also ran the neighboring farm. The free-standing “Stokhus”, a small farm building that was built east of the tower, also dates from this late period. After the van Heteren family, the stone house became the property of the Elias family.

In 1928 security measures were carried out, in 1972 the roof was re-covered and the beamed ceiling was partly renewed. In 1976, the East Frisian landscape acquired the stone house from the widow Klasine Elias and carried out a total renovation from 1976–1978.

Second tower floor with late Gothic chimney and exhibition (2017)

From 1978 to 2002 the Steinhaus was the seat of the North German Organ Academy under the direction of Harald Vogel . Professors from all over the world spent their sabbatical year here to learn the works of the old masters in the historical style on the historical organs of the organ landscape of East Friesland . Starting with the Steinhaus, Vogel also held international summer courses (master courses). The stone house also contained a valuable collection of historic stringed keyboard instruments and various replicas . The instruments were transferred to the Organeum in Weener in 2002 .

Between 2002 and 2008 the stone house served the East Frisian artist Elisabeth Tatenberg and the Dutch architect Jan Timmer as a studio under the name "Kunsthaus Steinhaus" and as an apartment.

The East Frisian landscape acquired the neighboring farm Tammen in 2007 with the help of the Ostfrieslandstiftung. The planned installation of a wind park and a holiday park near the stone house has polarized the public for years.

17th century brick path exposed during excavations

Since the structural condition of the building deteriorated further and the studio moved to Weener in 2008 , the stone house has remained uninhabited. The structural safety of the roof structure was no longer guaranteed, as the load-bearing beam heads had become rotten due to the moisture in the masonry. After the financing of € 400,000 had been guaranteed and grants had been granted, the stone house was renovated from April 2010 to March 2011. In 2015, the landscape took over the neighboring courtyard August, where, after demolition and archaeological excavations, there was a paved access road and parking facilities have been created.

Since the reopening, the building has housed an exhibition on the history of the East Frisian chiefs including a short film, is open to cultural events and provides the setting for civil weddings. During archaeological excavations in 2017, a 10 meter long brick path from the 17th century made of medieval roof tiles was discovered on the south side, which could support the thesis of the harbor basin.

Building description

Cellar vault in the tower

The three-storey tower system reaches a height of 15.2 m. The basement of the stone house with a floor plan of 11.40 × 7.60 m has 1.60 m thick walls, which are more than 1 m thick on the upper floor and around 90 cm thick on the second floor. The fired bricks in the monastery format are 29 × 14 × 9 cm in size and bricked with shell limestone.

The ground-level portal on the south side with its slightly pointed round arch has been preserved. The basement is simply vaulted. One of the two loopholes in the basement can still be seen, and a round loopholes on the first floor. Some of the original narrow windows on the two upper floors have been preserved. There is also an attic above the two upper floors, which may initially have a hipped roof.

The baroque western extension is built over a floor plan of 20.1 × 11.4 m. It is not connected to the tower with a masonry bond and has no double wall to the tower, but was bricked up directly. Due to the inclination of the tower, the vertical joint became larger and larger over the course of time and is 20 cm thick at the height of the eaves. Above each rectangular window (65 × 123 cm) a smaller one (65 × 97 cm) is attached, which is connected by a sandstone element. The lintels and sills are also made of sandstone. The outer walls are connected with a frieze under the eaves . On the north and south sides there is a dwarf house with a gable roof and a curved gable. While there are two rectangular windows on the north side, the south side is more elaborate. The entrance portal has a segmented arch, above which the coat of arms of the van Heteren family can be seen, and is flanked at the side by two narrow double windows and pilasters . In the gable there is a large window with segmented arch , which dates back to an enlargement in 1751. A sandstone band is walled in over it and a small round window in the top of the gable. The corner pilasters are decorated with sandstone. A small porch allows a side entrance to the east by the tower.

Ownership successes

episode Period Name, relationship and ownership share
1. 16th century to 1594 I. Crumminga von Weener family; u. a. Enge Crumminga († 1580), co-owner, married Uke Sparringa († 1594) in 1561/62
II. Haike zu Deddeborg († after 1597), co-owner, married Rindelt Uden († before 1595), who in 1579 sold his wife's share to Uko Sparringa
2. 1595-1638 Tyda Sparringa (1562–1638), married after 1595 Petrus Ficinus († 1623)
3. 1638-1683 I. Agneta Ficinus († 1683), owner of one half
1638-1673 II. Katharina Ficinus († 1673), owner of one half, married Tiberias van Heteren († 1648) in 1634
4th 1673-1682 I. Peter Ulrich van Heteren (1639–1682), owner of one half, married in 1668
1682-1693 II. Angel Jans Nannes († 1693), owner of the entire stone house
5. 1693-1737 I. Johannes van Heteren (1675–1737), owner of a third
1693 II. Romberta van Heteren (1672–1742), owner of a third that she sells to her brother Johannes
1693-1730 III. Tyda Agneta van Heteren († before 1731), owner of a third, marries Jan Roelfs, followed by Aycke Harms
6th 1730-1795 Community of heirs

I. Peter Ulrich van Heteren (1698–1755), marries Engel Bruns (1703–1762)

II. Angel Aykens (1705–1795)

III. Harm Ayckens (1715–1764)

7th 1795-1828 Community of heirs van Heteren
8th. 1828-1872 Community of heirs van Heteren, children of Peter Ulrich van Heteren (1773–1827), married to Antje Busemann (1782–1851), namely Johannes van Heteren (1818–1872), married to Egberdina Pots (1840–1921)
9. 1872-1891 Community of heirs van Heteren, namely the two daughters of Johannes van Heteren, married to Egberdina Pots

I. Annette Gesine van Heteren (1872-1949)

II. Johanne Petronella Ulrike van Heteren (* 1873)

10. about 1891–1976 Elias family
11. from 1976 East Frisian landscape

Legends

Archaeological studies have shown that the stone house was originally connected to the medieval church in Bunde by an underground tunnel. In fact, the oldest surviving tombstone on the grave of the stone house in the Bunder Kirche dates back to 1411. It remains unclear whether it is the tombstone of the said Gala Nommcka.

On the north side of the stone house, the (remains of) the old iron rings can still be seen, where mooring ships are said to have been moored when there was still a direct access from the Dollart. This tradition preserved the old knowledge of a navigable access route, which has been confirmed by recent studies.

It is also said that a beautiful but proud damsel turned down various applicants. When a suitor died in the crusades, the damsel was consumed in a heartache. Even death did not bring her redemption, so that at night, as a "white woman", she lamented the loss of the knight and looked out at the window. This curse was written as a chalk drawing on an old wooden beam.

literature

"Stokhus" at the Bunderhee stone house
  • Rolf Bärenfänger : East Frisian Defense. Stone houses and castles. In: Matthias Utermann (Ed.): Archeology of medieval castles . (= Communications of the German Society for Archeology of the Middle Ages and Modern Times. No. 20). German Society for Archeology of the Middle Ages and Modern Times V., Paderborn 2008, ISSN  1619-1439 (print), ISSN  1619-148X (Internet), pp. 69-76 ( online ) (PDF file; 3.55 MB).
  • Rolf Bärenfänger: Chiefs and castles. The Bunderhee stone house. In: Archeology in Lower Saxony , pp. 99–101, 2013
  • Jan Pieter Kok: De Stins. Bastion van de Vrijstaat Terschelling. Koninklijke Van Gorcum, Assen 2007, ISBN 978-90-232-4345-8 ( online ).
  • Hajo van Lengen : The stone house of Bunderhee and the Unkenburg in Leer. In: Rolf Bärenfänger (Ed.): Ostfriesland (= guide to archaeological monuments in Germany. Vol. 35). Theiss, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-8062-1415-8 , pp. 206-210.
  • Hajo van Lengen: On the building history of the stone house in Bunderhee . In: Ostfriesland. Magazine for culture, economy and transport . No. 2, 1978, pp. 8-14.
  • Eva Requardt-Schohaus: Stone house in the field of tension. A wind farm is to be built near the historic stone house in Bunderhee . In: Ostfriesland Magazin . No. 1, 2003, pp. 48-53.
  • Wolfgang Rüther: House construction between national and economic history. The Krummhörn farmhouses from the 16th to the 20th century. Dissertation Münster 1999 ( online ; PDF; 1.9 MB).
  • Alger Schmidt: The stone house in Bunderhee. Description of the building after the restoration 1976-1978 . In: Ostfriesland. Magazine for culture, economy and transport . No. 2, 1978, pp. 1-8.
  • Wolfgang Schwarz: Excavation at the stone house to Bunderhee . In: Ostfriesland. Magazine for culture, economy and transport . No. 2, 1978, pp. 14-18.
  • Johannes-Vienne Smidt, Erica Smidt-Oberdieck: The stone house to Bunderhee. Its interrelationships with Ukeborg, Drakemund and Fürstenjagdhaus . Ostfriesische Landschaft, Aurich 1970. (Ostfriesische Familienkunde. Bd. 3).
  • Harm Wiemann; Samtgemeinde Bunde (ed.): From past days. Chronicle of the combined community of Bunde . Selbstverlag, Bunde 1983, pp. 39–43.

Web links

Commons : Steinhaus Bunderhee  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wiemann: From days gone by . 1983, p. 39.
  2. ↑ See van Lengen: Building History . 1978, p. 11.
  3. ↑ See Wybren J. Buma, Wilhelm Ebel (Ed.): The Brokmer Law . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1965, ISBN 3-525-18151-5 , p. 91 ( online ), accessed on August 13, 2017.
  4. ↑ Cf. Wolfgang Schwarz: Excavation at the stone house in Bunderhee . 1978, pp. 14-18.
  5. ↑ a b Investigations in the late medieval stone house , accessed on August 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ Wiemann: From days gone by . 1983, p. 43.
  7. ↑ a b East Frisian landscape : Steinhaus Bunderhee , accessed on August 13, 2017.
  8. ↑ See van Lengen: Building History . 1978, pp. 10, 12.
  9. ↑ Wiemann: From days gone by . 1978, p. 40.
  10. ↑ For the history of the owner and the family history of the van Heteren see Smidt, Smidt-Oberdieck: Steinhaus . 1970.
  11. ↑ For the individual measures see Schmidt: Steinhaus . 1978, pp. 1-8.
  12. ↑ nwzonline.de: Get on the roof with good intentions , accessed on February 28, 2019.
  13. ↑ See, for example, Requardt-Schohaus: Stone House in the Tension Field , and Citizens Against Wind "Park" Bunderhee , accessed on August 13, 2017.
  14. ^ Ostfriesen-Zeitung of January 8, 2009 , accessed on August 13, 2017.
  15. ↑ noz.de: Ziegelweg from the 17th century. Find during excavations at the stone house in Bunderhee puzzles , accessed on September 1, 2017.
  16. ^ Rüther: House building . 1999, p. 118, note 438 ( online ; PDF; 1.9 MB), accessed on August 13, 2017.
  17. ^ Schmidt: stone house . 1978, p. 2.
  18. ↑ A cross-section and a floor plan of the first floor can be found in Kok: Stins . 2007, p. 34 ( online ), accessed on August 13, 2017.
  19. ↑ See van Lengen: Building History . 1978, p. 9.
  20. ^ Schmidt: stone house . 1978, p. 1 f.
  21. ↑ noz.de: Legend of the White Woman , accessed on February 28, 2019.