Old prison (Zeven)
The old prison at Klostergang 8 in Zeven is a listed building, built in 1856.
history
Use as a prison (1856-1936)
According to the rescript of the former Hanover Ministry of Finance of June 27, 1865, it was transferred to the Zeven District Court . In the late autumn of 1865, the last King of Hanover, King George V , who had been blind since his youth , visited the newly constructed building when he drove through Zeven on November 11th and 12th together with Crown Prince Ernst August . The keystone above the entrance with the sign "GRV" is a reminder of the visit - after a meal with bailiff Friedrich von Engelbrechten
The prison building was about 60 m across from the former district court building and was separated from it by an orchard owned by the domain treasury. After the end of the Kingdom of Hanover, the owner of the brick building was the Prussian state (justice administration). According to an entry in the file dated October 27, 1927, the size of the property totaled 0.1036 hectares. At that time, the building complex consisted of two basement rooms, the ground floor, the first floor, an attic , a stable building with a toilet and the prison yard. In 1927 there were two water pumps on the first floor and a lightning rod system , which was removed in 1933. The first floor and the attic were without a water pipe or pump. The original pitched roof with roof tiles was torn down in 1920 due to the dilapidation of the roof structure and replaced by a flat roof with cardboard covering . The cells were heated using individual ovens .
From 1865, the prison's official apartment on the ground floor belonged to the prison . According to the files, this was still rented from prison superintendent Güse in 1927 (fixed peace rent value 320 Reichsmarks annually) and had two rooms, a chamber, a pantry and a cellar. The structural condition of the prison building was assessed as good in 1927, but the construction and layout of the cells may not have corresponded to the more modern penal system of the time. The laundry room was used by the service apartment owner and also served as a cleaning and bathing room for prisoners. All cell ovens were described as completely out of date. The flat roof offered little security against the risk of fire and breakouts . As noted in the above-mentioned file from 1927, there was already an escape through the attic by this time.
In the vernacular of Zeven, the inscription on the keystone above the entrance with the initials “GRV” of the last King of Hanover (Georg Rex V. = King Georg V) was, by the way, repackaged in a friendly and disrespectful way to “Güses Restaurant 5th Quality”. After Zeven became a city in 1929, the Zeven official prison was made available for the accommodation of police prisoners.
Use as a middle school (1936–1965)
At their meeting on August 7, 1936, the Zeven councilors decided to convert the former prison into a middle school . The building had previously been acquired by the municipality in the same year. According to the construction plan, the following should be accommodated: In the basement, the boiler and fuel room for the central heating and the automatic water supply. On the ground floor 2 classes, 1 chemicals and equipment room, 1 rector's room, 1 teachers' room with teaching material cupboards. On the upper floor 4 classes and in the adjoining building the toilets for teachers and the children and an apartment for the school caretaker. After the Second World War, the middle school experienced such an onslaught of willing learners that a school center “Auf dem Lühnenfeld” was planned. This was obtained in 1965.
Use from 1965
Afterwards, the building housed a training seminar for teaching at schools and the archive of the city of Zeven within its walls. Today it houses the “ Kindergarten Klostergang”.
Individual evidence
- ^ " District court Zeven (prison with Just.WMDienstwohung)", copy of a file without a signature in the holdings of the archive of the Zeven municipality
- ↑ Hinrich Brunkhorst and Fritz Busse: The old Zeven in pictures of its time . JF Zeller, Zeven 1980, p. 3 .
Coordinates: 53 ° 17 '50.2 " N , 9 ° 16'53.8" E