Lissingen Castle
| Lissingen Castle | ||
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| Creation time : | from 900 to 1280 | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg (Talburg) | |
| Conservation status: | completely preserved | |
| Standing position : | Knights, nobility, court officials, barons, citizens | |
| Place: | Gerolstein | |
| Geographical location | 50 ° 12 '59.6 " N , 6 ° 38' 23.2" E | |
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The castle Lissingen an der Kyll is a well-preserved, former moated castle from the 13th century near Gerolstein in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate . From the outside it looks like a single castle, but it is a double castle. Due to a division in 1559, it consists of a so-called lower castle (Niederburg) and an upper castle, which have different owners again today. Similar to Eltz Castle and Bürresheim Castle, Lissingen Castle is one of the very few Eifel castles that have never been destroyed.
Lissingen Castle is a protected cultural asset under the Hague Convention .
location
The castle is located on the outskirts of Lissingen, a district of Gerolstein . It was originally a real moated castle, which was partly surrounded by the Kyll and the rest by moats . While the trenches on the south and west sides of the castle have been filled in and roads have been laid on them, the areas of the castle facing the Kyll still reveal their origins as a moated castle.
history
Roman settlement
Lissingen and the neighboring town of “Sarresdorph” are believed to have originated from a Roman settlement . This suggests not only excavation finds from the farmyard of the lower castle before the First World War , but also the proximity to the former Roman Ausava , today Oos, a horse-changing station on the Roman road between Trier and Cologne .
After the great Germanic conquest in the 5th century, the former Roman settlements became the property of the Frankish kings. The Merovingian and Carolingian houses later developed from this property . During the Carolingian period in the 8th and 9th centuries, the two settlements of Lissingen and Sarresdorph belonged to the Prüm Abbey and its Büdesheim court.
After the Norman invasions in the 9th century and attacks on the Prüm Abbey , defensive towers and later castles were built to protect it . → During the heyday of the courtly knight ideal , the fortified seat was expanded into a fortified building complex.
Lissingen, a fiefdom of the Prüm Abbey
Lissingen Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1212 as the property of the Knights of Liezingen. In 1514 the Prüm Abbey enfeoffed Mr. Gerlach Zandt von Merl with the entire property of Lissingen. In 1559 the castle complex was divided into lower and upper castle.
In the years 1661–1663 Ferdinand Zandt von Merl rebuilt the lower castle almost completely. With the inclusion of three medieval residential towers , an imposing mansion (main house) with a castle-like shape and dimensions was created. This also had a small house chapel in the form of a porch. The house chapel was subsequently mentioned (1711 and 1745) as the oratorio of the von Zandt family. It was abandoned at the beginning of the 20th century.
Lissingen, a small autonomous territory
In 1762 Josef Franz von Zandt zu Merl was enfeoffed with Lissingen by the Trier elector (as procurator of the Abbey of Prüm). A few years later, in 1780, this nobleman - as a member of the imperial knighthood - became baron (sovereign) of the lordship of Lissingen, a small, autonomous territory. This continued until the end of the feudal period. During this time, major structural extensions of the castle complex, in particular in the form of a significantly enlarged tithe barn including stables .
As a result of the French Revolution , the area on the left bank of the Rhine , to which the former dominion of Lissingen and Lissingen Castle belonged, came under French administration in 1794.
Lissingen, a modern business enterprise
As early as 1815, the Eifel region was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia . In the following years the two parts of the castle changed hands several times until they were united under one owner in 1913. With a lot of vigor, he built up a farm.
A noticeable economic development was brought about by the establishment of a small power station of its own , which began operations in 1906. Power was supplied to the castle, around 50 houses in the village of Lissingen and the small train station in Lissingen. The power supply of third parties lasted until 1936 when it was taken over by the Rheinisch-Westfälische Elektrizitätswerk (RWE) .
In 1932 the brewery owner Greven from Cologne acquired the estate ( weakened by the global economic crisis ). At his instigation, the large agricultural buildings were built on the south side of the castle. In 1936, a new, large cowshed was built with a milking parlor , milk kitchen, cold store and one of the first bottling plants for bottled milk in the Eifel.
During the Second World War, the castle served as accommodation for various Wehrmacht regiments as well as the command post of the German General Staff and towards the end of the war also as a provisional prison for high-ranking military personnel.
After the end of the war, the Greven family dared to start over with dairy and cattle farming . Until 1977 the lower castle was run as an agricultural enterprise by a tenant. Agriculture was no longer profitable. The buildings of the castle (especially the gatehouse of the upper castle and the entire lower castle) were increasingly neglected and left to decay. Investments were only made again when the two parts of the castle were transferred to the hands of new private owners.
timeline
| 1./2. Century AD | Romans settled on the site of today's Lissingen Castle. |
| 6./7. Century AD | Franks (Merovingians) ousted the Romans and took over their possessions. |
| 8th century AD | The Merovingian caretakers came to power and achieved great importance as Carolingians. They choose the Prüm Abbey as their house monastery and equip it with numerous goods. The site of today's Lissingen Castle also comes to the Prüm Abbey. |
| 9th century AD | In the years 890 and 892 the Prüm Abbey is plundered and destroyed by invading Normans. Presumably for this reason, the construction of castles and fortifications in the areas of the abbey began. |
| 10/11 Century AD | Presumed beginning of castle construction (stone residential and defense tower) on the site of Lissingen Castle. Remains of this residential and defense tower can still be found today in a mansion of Lissingen Castle that was built later. |
| 1212 | First documentary mention of a knight family at Lissingen Castle. |
| 1280 | Construction of a second residential and defense tower near the first. |
| around 1400 | Construction of a third residential and defense tower. |
| 1544 | First map of the Eifel by the Basel cartographer Sebastian Münster. In it the indication "Lesingum" appears apparently for Castle Lissingen, which at that time may have looked like a small medieval town to the outside world. |
| 1559 | Lissingen Castle is divided into Lower Castle and Upper Castle. The upper castle also developed into a complete castle complex with a manor house, castle courtyard and outer bailey. A new gatehouse is being built on the lower castle. |
| 1624 | The upper castle will also have its own gatehouse - in the style of the Renaissance. |
| 1662 | Extensive renovation in the area of the lower castle, with its 3 residential towers being brought under the roof and integrated into a mansion. |
| 17./18. Century AD | The noble family of the Zandt von Merl zu Lissingen, who lived on the lower castle, became a member of the Federation of the Lower Rhine Imperial Knighthood and thus directly subordinated to the emperor. Lissingen Castle becomes the seat of a tiny, autonomous rule with its own jurisdiction. |
| 1794 | The rule of Lissingen disappears from the political map in the course of the French Revolution and the annexation of the areas on the left bank of the Rhine by France. |
| 1823 | The last member of the aristocratic family Zandt von Merl zu Lissingen dies and the property goes to the Zandt von Merl zu Weiskirchen (in today's Saarland) for one year. |
| from 1824 | The lower castle is henceforth in civil ownership and is mainly used in the context of agriculture and forestry as well as a mill. |
| 20th century | There is a stronger mechanization of the castle complex in connection with a specialization in pig fattening, seed production, milk production and power generation. |
| 1987 | Acquisition of the lower castle by Karl Grommes. |
| 2000 | The Engels couple acquire the upper castle. |
| 2015 | Foreclosure auction of the lower castle and acquisition by Günter Lipperson |
| 2016 | First Christmas market in Upper and Lower Castle. |
Todays use
The lower castle was acquired in 1987 by patent attorney Karl Grommes from Koblenz. He carried out extensive renovation measures and equipped the historic building complex with furniture, household items, workshops and the like. His goal was to revive the entire building complex with its interior fittings as an ensemble and thus to give insights into former ways of living and working. The whole complex was known as the "Lissingen Castle Open-Air Museum".
As a rule, the picturesque courtyard of the lower castle, its manor house with cellar, kitchen and living rooms, the tithe barn, other farm buildings and the outdoor area with many relics from earlier centuries could be visited. Guided tours were offered. There were permanent exhibitions on carriages , sleighs , church taps and historical building materials . The special exhibition "Eating Times", conceived by the Eifeler Museen working group, had found a permanent home here after five years of traveling.
Furthermore, the lower castle could be used for gastronomic and cultural purposes such as celebrations, weddings, conferences, art projects and exhibitions. Within the lower castle there was a bakery with a historic stone oven, a restaurant and a registry office. In March 2015, the lower castle was foreclosed. As a result, the senior teacher a. D. and historian Günter Lipperson from Linz am Rhein in possession of the lower castle in Lissingen. A gradual renovation followed. In the process, rotten beams were replaced, the roofs re-covered, tilted gable walls reinforced with anchors, and the masonry of the entire property was grouted, although as of the end of 2017 the work is far from complete and in particular the main house and the collapsing tithe barn still have to be fundamentally repaired .
The food pages exhibition is now in the folklore and open-air museum Roscheider Hof and the church tower taps in the LVR open-air museum in Kommern .
The upper castle was acquired by Christine and Christian Engels in 2000. It is used by the owners. Some rooms are (as of 2011) rented out as holiday apartments. The upper castle can also be visited by appointment.
description
The castle complex includes, on the one hand, the lower castle with its various buildings, courtyards and open spaces as well as an outdoor area and, on the other hand, the similarly structured upper castle, also with buildings, courtyard and open spaces.
Building complex of the lower castle
The construction complex of the lower castle includes:
- the historic castle courtyard,
- the mansion,
- the Burgmühle (today a restaurant and court bakery),
- the so-called Hahnenspeicher (now a museum),
- the so-called summer kitchen,
- the gatehouse,
- the tithe barn with horse stables,
- the large barn (now a museum),
- the Remise (now a museum),
- the farm yard with herb garden and chestnut meadow,
- the former power station,
- the former playpen (today covered patio),
- the former cowshed (today exhibition / market hall),
- Locksmith's shop, magazine, machine hall and silos,
- Game gate with game stable,
- the inner mill ditch.
The mansion
The castle-like mansion is now in the Renaissance style . It goes back to three medieval residential towers , which were merged into a single angular structure during the renovation from 1661 to 1663. The oldest, possibly Carolingian building remains are in the basement of the house and as a vault under a large terrace in front. In addition to the reception and dining rooms, there is a rustic farm kitchen on the ground floor. The ground floor is followed by a mezzanine floor with a significantly lower ceiling height, which contained the actual living rooms of previous owners. Above this is an upper floor in which three high, representative halls with remarkable sandstone chimneys can be found.
The castle mill
The castle mill was originally a free-standing structure outside the fortifications of Lissingen Castle. Only in the course of later expansions (triggered by the partition contract of 1559) was the castle mill included in the castle complex. The castle mill was a flour mill. She paid 5 Malter Korn, 6 Gulden and 8 Albus a year for rent and watercourse. In addition, the lords of the castle were allowed to mill freely at any time and did not have to give up a painter .
At the beginning of the 20th century, electricity was generated in the mill using water power. This is where the later power station had its origin. Around 1920, a large wood-fired stone oven (so-called Königswinterer oven) was installed in the basement of the mill, which covered the bread required by the numerous castle residents and helpers. This furnace was recently restored and has been operational again ever since. His baked products can be purchased and also tasted on site.
Aerial view with the lower castle in the foreground
Inner courtyard of the lower castle
The castle complex from the north
Remise
Tithe barn
The Burgaue
The large Burgaue is located on the west side (field side) of the castle. This is partially bounded by the Oosbach and traversed by a mill ditch branching off from it. Its water was initially used to fill the moats, later also to drive the castle mill and the power station. In addition, the water supplied to the castle was used to water cattle, for fish farming and as an extinguishing agent in the event of a fire. The Mühlgraben has been preserved, but because of the dilapidated extraction plant on the Oosbach, there is no regulated water supply and weed. In 2004 the Burgaue was the northernmost branch of the Trier State Horticultural Show. Today (as of 2013) the former cultural landscape with its biotopes, sculpture paths, resting points and the observation post is largely overgrown, dilapidated and not accessible.
The outdoor area of the lower castle also includes:
- the historic access route (“Im Hofpesch” path and Mühlpfad, both with old trees) and
- the outer mill ditch with extraction works on the Oosbach.
Building complex of the upper castle
The Oberburg complex includes:
- the courtyard (bounded by a wall and buildings),
- the main building of the upper castle (elongated mansion in the style of the Renaissance and Baroque),
- the so-called archive (originally an extension of the lower castle),
- the gate tower (from the 14th century; at that time the only access to the castle complex),
- the barn (farm building as southern boundary of the courtyard),
- the wash house (farm building as the eastern boundary of the courtyard),
- the so-called office building (baroque administration building),
- the park (emerged from the kitchen gardens of Unterburg and Oberburg),
- the so-called chapel house (a small building surrounded by a barn and office building, which originally served as a chapel and burial place and was later converted into a residential building),
- the gatehouse (striking building of the Renaissance),
- a small farm (built in the 18th century between the gatehouse of the upper castle and the tithe barn of the lower castle; has a living area, stable and barn as well as a small inner courtyard).
Aerial view with the upper castle in the foreground
Towers of the upper castle from the north
The upper castle from the south
literature
- Eifel castles . Rhenish Association for Monument Preservation and Heritage Protection, 4th year, issue 3 (December 1, 1910).
- The magazine for the Hillesheimer Land Hilla . Reprint June 2009.
- Magnus Backes: Castles and city guards in the Eifel. Verlag Strüde, Neuwied 1966.
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 1984, ISBN 3-422-00382-7 .
- Bernhard Gondorf: The castles of the Eifel and their peripheral areas. A lexicon of the "permanent houses" . J. P. Bachem, Cologne 1984, ISBN 3-7616-0723-7 , p. 82 f .
- Gerald Grommes: Lissingen Castle - History of an economic castle in the 20th century. In: Yearbook District Daun 2000.
- Karl F. Grommes: Little guide to the history of Lissingen Castle . Gerolstein 1999.
- Walter Hotz: Castles on the Rhine and the Moselle . German art publisher, Kiel 1958.
- Franz Irsigler: Dominions in 1789 - Supplement to the Historical Atlas of the Rhineland. Rheinland-Verlag, Cologne 1982.
- Stella Junker-Mielke: Matt before bliss - fabulous gardens in the Middle Rhine region . Publishing house Cappi di Capua, Ramsen 2011.
- Matthias Kordel: The most beautiful palaces and fortresses in the Eifel. 1st edition. Wartberg, Gudensberg-Gleichen 1999, ISBN 3-86134-482-3 .
- Paul Krämer: Heimatbuch Lissingen-Hinterhausen / Eifel. Self-published, Lissingen 1962.
- Michael Losse : High Eifel and Ahr Valley. Konrad Theiss, Stuttgart 2003.
- Erich Mertes: Mills of the Eifel. Helios Verlag, 1994.
- Erich Mertes-Kolverath: The introduction of electricity in the Central Eifel. In: Eifel yearbook. 1993.
- Barbara Mikuda-Hüttel, Anita Burgard: Gardens of the Region. Verlag Michael Weyand, Trier 2004, ISBN 3-935281-23-4 .
- Klaus Tombers: Klaus Tombers draws ... on the waters of THE RHINE. Rheinland-Verlag, Cologne 1997.
- Ernst Wackenroder : The art monuments of the Daun district. (Ed.) (= Die Kunstdenkmäler der Rheinprovinz, Volume 12, III. Dept.), L. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1928 (Unchanged reprint: Akademische Buchhandlung Interbook, Trier 1983, ISBN 3-88915-005-5 ).
Web links
- Entry on Lissingen in the private database "Alle Burgen".
- Information about the lower castle
- Information about the upper castle
Individual evidence
- ↑ Magnus Backes: Castles and city defenses of the Eifel . Verlag Strüde, Neuwied 1966.
- ^ Georg Dehio: Handbook of the German art monuments Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 1984, ISBN 3-422-00382-7 , p. 566 f .
- ^ Paul Krämer: Heimatbuch Lissingen-Hinterhausen / Eifel . Self-published, Lissingen 1962.
- ^ Ernst Wackenroder: The art monuments of the Prüm district . Verlag L. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1983, ISBN 3-88915-007-1 (first edition: 1927, reprint unchanged).
- ↑ Lissingen Daun district in Eifelburgen . Rhenish Association for Monument Preservation and Heritage Protection, Düsseldorf 1910.
- ↑ Paul Clemen: The art monuments of the district of Daun . Verlag L. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1983, ISBN 3-88915-005-5 , p. 694 ff . (First edition: 1928, reprinted unchanged).
- ^ Franz Irsigler: Dominions in 1789 - Supplement to the Historical Atlas of the Rhineland . Rheinland-Verlag, Cologne 1982.
- ↑ Erich Mertes-Kolverath: The introduction of electricity in the Central Eifel . Eifel yearbook, 1993.
- ↑ Gerald Grommes: Lissingen Castle - History of an economic castle in the 20th century . District of Daun, yearbook 2000, Daun 1984.
- ↑ A house of history . Verlag Das Magazin für das Hillesheimer Land, reprint June 2009, Hilla 2009.
- ↑ Michael Losse: High Eifel and Ahr Valley . Konrad Theiss, Stuttgart 2003.
- ↑ Klaus Tombers: Klaus Tombers draws ... on the waters of THE RHINE . Rheinland-Verlag, Cologne 1997.
- ↑ Stella Junker-Mielke: Matt before bliss - legendary gardens of the Middle Rhine region . Publishing house Cappi di Capua, Ramsen 2011.
- ↑ http://unterburg-lissingen.de/damals-heute.html
- ^ Bernhard Gondorf: The castles of the Eifel and their peripheral areas. A lexicon of the "permanent houses" . J. P. Bachem, Cologne 1984, ISBN 3-7616-0723-7 , p. 82 f .
- ↑ Erich Mertes: Mills of the Eifel . Helios Verlag, 1994.
- ↑ Barbara Mikuda-Hüttel, Anita Burgard: Gardens of the Region . Verlag Michael Weyand, Trier 2004, ISBN 3-935281-23-4 , p. 114 .