Castrum Vechtense

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Castle island of the Castrum Vechtense

Vechta Castle is the name of a project by the Center for Experimental Middle Ages in Vechta . In the Citadel Park Vechta one is castle from the 11th century rebuilt, which is modeled on the castle Vechta.

Remnants of the historic castle were found during the excavation work for the construction of a new underground car park at the Marienhospital in downtown Vechta. The finds should be taken into account together with historical maps when planning the reconstruction of the castle.

  • Garden Island (front) and Castle Island (back), viewed from the station bridge

  • View over the citadel's moat towards the new station district

Historic Vechta Castle

location

Vechta Castle was located on the site of Vechta city center, where the Niels Stensen House (the former district office ), the Vechta District Court and the Franciscan Church are today . In this area, the Vechtaer Moorbach divides into a north arm and a south arm. The north arm formed in the Middle Ages, the boundary between the Saxon Gauen Dersagau and Lerigau . To the west and east of this boundary line, between the Ems and Weser, there are humid lowlands that were often impassable in the Middle Ages. At Vechta Castle, the distance between the higher, relatively dry geest areas in the north (here: the Cloppenburger Geest ) and in the south (here: the Dammer Mountains ) is the smallest, so that the castle used to be of great strategic importance. In the Middle Ages it was supposed to protect the journey of travelers on the Rheinische Straße from Bremen to Osnabrück .

history

There is no reliable information about when Vechta Castle was built. Carl Heinrich Nieberding does not rule out that it could have been built as early as 925. It was first mentioned in a document in 1188. The castle served as a mansion for the Counts of Calvelage , who came from Dersagau . From the middle of the 12th century they called themselves Counts of Ravensberg . Otto I von Ravensberg moved his main residence to Ravensberg Castle around 1140 . His great-granddaughter Jutta sold the Ravensberg estates in the Vechta area in 1252, and thus the castle, to the Bishop of Münster . From 1252 to 1803, Vechta was an outpost of the Münster bishopric .

The castle was initially continuously expanded by the bishops of Münster. In 1538 it was attacked by the Counts of Oldenburg . Vechta town and castle went up in flames. In the 1540s the idea of ​​stronger fortification of the city took shape. However, the implementation of these plans was slow. In 1647 Vechta had a ring wall with five bastions , which was closed except for the old count's castle, the "castle". In 1682 the castle was to be included in the emerging fortress, the Citadel Vechta . After the city ​​fire of 1684, however, this plan was abandoned. The citadel was built immediately to the west of the then city limits, and the old castle became permanently inoperable. In 1687 the castle tower was blown up, and in 1698 all materials from the former castle were used in the citadel.

Appearance

The castle stood on an artificial island called "Borgfrede" in the Vechtaer Moorbach, which had a rounded shape and was flattened to the west. The diameter was 54 meters. In the middle of the island there was a 20.5 meter high tower with a 15.06 meter diameter and 5 meter thick walls, next to it the court linden tree . On the edge of the island were residential and farm buildings, including the 39 meter long castle. A massive curtain wall was built around the complex in the 13th or 14th century. To the west of the main castle , separated from it by a moat , was the outer castle on a rectangular island. Horticulture was carried out on another island, where the choir of the Franciscan Church is today . The moats that framed the entire complex also served as a mill pond.

After the castle was destroyed by the Counts of Oldenburg in 1538, the castle was rebuilt from 1550, except for the tower, which remained in ruins until it was demolished .

Replica of the castle from 2012

Islands of Castrum Vechtense embedded in the citadel park
Flower beds on the garden island; in the background the castle tower
Interior of the castle tower
Shell construction of a pit house after the topping-out ceremony in 2016 on Castle Island

In the Castrum Vechtense project , the methods and techniques learned in the Center for Experimental Middle Ages are to be applied in conjunction with the archaeological research results and used to reconstruct a medieval castle with outbuildings. The main, outer and side castles are to be placed on three islands in the Citadel Park; here should Palas , two gate houses, stables, a forging, a watch tower, barns, a dungeon , wells, storage, stables, a boat shed, a wood stock, Grubenhäuser, a Helling , a ridge and a farm arise. A visitor center is to be built south of the three islands.

In autumn 2010, the administrative committee of the city of Vechta approved the budget for the first module: a wooden castle tower with palisade and the infrastructure of a three-island castle complex. Originally, the construction of the plant in Vechta was to start in 2011. In 2009, the construction costs were estimated at 1.9 million euros. However, in 2011 it turned out that the wooden tower on the main island will cost 130,000 euros more than originally estimated. 350,000 euros were approved for the first construction phase.

In fact, work started in April 2012. In August 2012, the modeling of the three islands was completed. On the Burgmannen Days on September 29 and 30, 2012, Living History actors presented medieval life there. Neighbors to the Citadel Park tried to bring down the entire Castrum Vechtense project . The administrative court in Oldenburg did not comply with their application to grant temporary legal protection against the urban building project. The topping-out ceremony for the castle tower was celebrated on June 19, 2013. The 13 meter high tower made of 48 cubic meters of raw oak was inaugurated on September 28, 2013; it vividly depicts the life of a noble family in the Middle Ages.

In 2014, access to the garden island was created, where beds in the style of a medieval monastery garden can be viewed.

Web links

Commons : Castrum Vechtense  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christoph Floren: Farewell to Vechta Castle. Excavation for an underground car park reveals valuable archaeological finds . Northwest Newspaper . May 10, 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  2. ^ Carl Heinrich Nieberding: History of the former Niederstift Münster . Vechta. Verlag CH Fauvel 1840 (reprint 1967), p. 85
  3. ^ Carl Heinrich Nieberding: History of the former Niederstift Münster . Vechta. Verlag CH Fauvel 1840 (reprint 1967), p. 84
  4. ^ Rudolf Reinhardt: City Guide Vechta . Plaggenborg Verlag Vechta, 1995, p. 45ff.
  5. ^ Museum in the Armory Vechta: Model of the Historical Museum in the Armory City of Vechta: Historical - Experimental - Clear - Comprehensive
  6. ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Is a medieval world of experience emerging? (PDF; 348 kB). Oldenburg People's Newspaper . March 5, 2010@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.mittelalter-zentrum.eu
  7. ↑ City of Vechta: Three-island complex with tower castle is coming ( Memento from November 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ Castle is to be built in the Citadel Park  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 110 kB) Oldenburg People's Newspaper . May 28, 2009@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.mittelalter-zentrum.eu  
  9. ^ City of Vechta: Administrative report on the development of the city of Vechta in 2011 ( memento from October 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). 2012. p. 47
  10. ↑ Christoph Floren: "Drei-Insel-Burganlage" is growing. NWZ . July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  11. ↑ Volker Kläne: Residents want to stop building castles . Oldenburg People's Newspaper . May 31, 2012
  12. ↑ City of Vechta: Application against the "Castrum Vechtense" failed ( Memento from October 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ^ Roland Kühn: Topping-out ceremony for the castle tower . Sunday paper , June 21, 2013
  14. ↑ Christopher Deeken: Digging for the medieval castle . Northwest Newspaper . May 30, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2016.