Beguinage (Kempten)
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The beguinage with its rear building, the nuns' tower, forms a listed building ensemble from the 14th century on the Iller in Kempten (Allgäu) . Since 2003 the Förderverein Beginenhaus Kempten eV has taken on these buildings, researched them from a building archaeological point of view and developed a renovation and utilization concept. The renovation and unclear future of the building ensemble is a regular topic of city policy (as of March 2017).
Building history, description and location
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The Beguinage building ensemble is located directly on the Illerbrücke below the Burghalde next to the newly built Illertor . The beguinage was built in 1357 over older walls as a two-storey stone house over two parcels. The peculiarity of this building is a more than 4 meter high gate hall, through which one could drive into the inner courtyard and to the rear building, the nun's tower, which was also attached to the city wall in the 14th century. In 1585/86 the beguinage was increased by one storey and covered with a large Renaissance roof truss.
The rear building, the so-called nun tower, is a three-story solid stone building with a gable roof that is attached directly to the city wall . Around 1395 the nuns tower was raised by a residential floor that protrudes over the city wall and gave the building its name; a new roof structure was also built at that time. Today there is a sandstone archway with plastic and inscription on the southeast side of the nun's tower. This gate was originally the main entrance gate from Burgstrasse into the gate hall. It was expanded there in 1936 and built into the city wall in 1943 at the instigation of the mayor and local researcher Otto Merkt . The arch dates from the time the beguinage was built in 1357/58. The sculpted hand of blessing and the lamb of God in the head are the only surviving examples of medieval architectural sculpture in Kempten. The inscription reads: “This is the lamgotz ain biu haltter der cristenheit” (“This is the Lamb of God, a keeper of Christianity”). The later added date 1502 marks a change of ownership.
The interior of the two buildings is extremely valuable. In the nuns' tower, the furnishings from the 14th century are just as well preserved as the decorations from 1585/86. In the beguinage, the Renaissance expansion phase dominates.
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As the lord of the city, the prince abbot had the duty to provide travelers with a safe place to stay. For this purpose he had an overnight house built at Illertor, which was run by a pious community of sisters. The sisters apparently had their rooms in the nuns tower, which is indicated by a large bedroom and a large kitchen.
In the Middle Ages, the building complex was not referred to as a beguinage, but rather as the “ze der styeg” (“to the staircase”) house after a staircase that led to the ramparts of the city wall. The term "Beg (h) ine" was not in use in all of Swabia, including in Kempten; Here the women living in sister communities were referred to as "daughters" or sisters. In the late Middle Ages, there were at times up to 10 communities of different sizes and structures in Kempten. Around 1500 the remaining Sisters of the Third Rule of the Franciscan Sisters joined the secular branch and founded the St. Anna Monastery at Neustätter Tor.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the beguinage was also sold and came into the possession of wealthy patrician families who expanded the two houses between 1584 and 1586 and furnished them in a representative manner in accordance with contemporary tastes.
Since the 18th century the houses have belonged to families of craftsmen who set up workshops and apartments there. Their limited financial means helped to preserve the medieval and early modern components.
At the beginning of the 20th century the house belonged to the locksmith family Bretzel, who sold it to the city in the 1980s as part of the renovation of the old town. The unique medieval gate hall was used in the 20th century as a locksmith's workshop, then as a supermarket and finally for catering; the first Italian restaurant "Europa" in Kempten opened here in 1963.
The last tenant moved out in 1984; since then the houses have been empty. Several renovation plans by the construction company, which was the owner of the houses at the time, failed because of the abundance of historical equipment details that were worth preserving. Thanks to the commitment of the development association, the city of Kempten took the houses back into their possession in November and gave the association a free hand in the planning of renovation and use.
In February 2012, the city council of Kempten approved a renovation and found the overall concept, consisting of a center for book culture, a museum and an event hall, good. In 2015 the withdrawal came.
Beguinage
Construction details
When examining the facade for paintings in 2010, remarkable finds came to light. The facade was always lavishly designed, for example in the 14th century with exposed corner blocks and a white fine plaster. The design of the Renaissance expansion phase, which will serve as a guiding layer for the renovation, is sensational: At that time, the edges of the Beguinage had manneristically designed corner strips in illusion painting with an impossible perspective. The windows were framed with painted decorative frames. This facade design is to be reconstructed during the renovation. A banner has been hanging on the facade since 2011 to give an impression of the future design.
Nun tower
The nun tower has a much smaller footprint than the beguinage. The ground floor of the nun's tower consists of two parallel rooms with barrel vaults. At the end of the 16th century, the wooden ceiling in the former vestibule was clad with plastered brick slabs for fire protection reasons, a special feature of Kempten that has already been proven in three houses.
The first floor has a very low ceiling height; its dimensions are given by the battlement of the city wall, which is still completely preserved here. In the Middle Ages, next to the battlements, there was a plank room on this floor, from which a wall and the donkey-back door frame have been preserved. The residential floor above from the late 14th century, on the other hand, has an impressive ceiling height that also met the demands of the Renaissance period. At that time the apartment was expanded and richly furnished. Painted wall and ceiling paneling in the so-called summer salon has been preserved, which is decorated with flat pattern and black ornamentation. The winter salon had two large, three-wing windows on the south side and could be heated smoke-free with a large tiled stove. A door frame from around 1600 decorated with carvings and inlays has been preserved here.
Mittelbau
Between the beguinage and the nuns' tower there is an inner courtyard with a connecting tract, which must have existed as early as the Middle Ages. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the intermediate wing underwent profound, but rudimentary changes. Due to its poor building fabric, which is not worth preserving, it will be replaced by a modern extension during the renovation, in which all components important for the development of the building can be accommodated, such as the elevator, a fire-proof staircase and toilet facilities on each floor. This means that the valuable historical substance on the left and right of it can be preserved.
Archaeological finds
The building archaeological investigations accompanying all measures also include sieving out the faulty soil and wall backfilling. The friends' association recovered thousands of small finds that have survived in these layers for centuries. A room book was also created in which the inventory was documented with descriptions and photos. In addition to the association members, the participants in the history workshop of the state secondary school on Salzstrasse are also busy working in the house. The students are supported by the German Foundation for Monument Protection as part of the "Monument Active" project.
The most important find when the paving in the vaulted cellar was uncovered was a Venetian silver coin from the period between 1570 and 1577. Screwable buttons turned from bone were also found from the 19th century, which were made using medieval technology, and a Lefaucheux pistol with pin ignition .
Condition and renovation
The cost of a renovation in line with listed buildings amounts to several million euros, which is to be collected from funds from the city of Kempten, urban development funding and the German Foundation for Monument Protection and other foundations.
Friends' association and events
The patron of the friends' association has been the actress Marie-Luise Marjan since 2007 .
The artist Bernadette Mayr is the club's secretary.
Individual evidence
- ^ Georg Dehio : Handbook of German Art Monuments - Bavaria III - Swabia . 2nd Edition. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1989, ISBN 978-3-422-03116-6 , p. 572 .
- ↑ Beguines in Kempten. In: www.beginenhaus-kempten.de, accessed on October 15, 2011
- ↑ Birgit Kata: Förderverein Beginenhaus Kempten e. V .. In: www.altstadtfreunde-kempten.de, accessed on October 15, 2011
- ↑ A new look for Cinderella: Beguinage - City councilors approve of the concept of the Friends' Association for “Center of Book Culture” - renovation already in 2013? In: Allgäuer Zeitung , February 17, 2012. ( available online )
- ↑ a b c building history. In: www.beginenhaus-kempten.de, accessed on October 15, 2011
- ↑ Archive updates. In: www.beginenhaus-kempten.de, accessed on October 16, 2011
- ^ Patron Marie-Luise Marjan. In: www.beginenhaus-kempten.de, accessed on June 12, 2012
- ↑ Board and team . beginenhaus-kempten.de. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
literature
- Birgit Kata: Sisters' houses in late medieval Kempten. In: Allgäuer Geschichtsfreund 102 (2002), pages: 117–140 (PDF; 163 kB)
- Brochure of the Förderverein Beginenhaus Kempten eV (to be requested via the homepage)
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments - Bavaria III - Swabia . 2nd Edition. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1989, ISBN 978-3-422-03116-6 , p. 572 .
- Birgit Kata: Buying a bicycle in the Middle Ages. History and stories of the beguinage and nuns tower. In: Kempten today & then in the shopping city. Kreisboten- Verlag Mühlfellner, Kempten (Allgäu), November 30, 2016, p. 41 (special publication)
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 43 ′ 28 " N , 10 ° 19 ′ 19.3" E