Clemenswerth Castle

Clemenswerth Castle, Central Pavilion (2019)

The Clemenswerth Castle is a hunting seat built for Clemens August I of Bavaria near the Sögel in the Emsland . The complex, which consists of a central main castle and eight pavilions, is one of the main works of the Westphalian Baroque . It is the only preserved hunting star system in the world. The hunting lodge, its outbuildings and the cloister garden are accessible to visitors and house the Emslandmuseum Schloss Clemenswerth .

historical overview

The palace complex was built from 1737 to 1747 for Elector Clemens August I on the northern edge of his widely dispersed territory. The designs came from the Westphalian master builder Johann Conrad Schlaun , who was already working for the Elector at Augustusburg Castle . The models of the complex include the Pagodenburg in Rastatt, the Hermitage in Waghäusel and the Marly-le-Roi Castle . The baroque castle and its use for large hunting parties in the time of Clemens August I are the focus of the homeland novella by the priest and writer Bernhard Köster .

With the former to the Bishopric of Münster associated office Meppen Clemenswerth 1803 fell into the hands of the Dukes of Arenberg ( Haus Arenberg ) and in 1928 the property of the Arenberg-Meppen GmbH . Today the facility serves as the regional Emsland museum and is the seat of the Emsland landscape and the Emsland Heimatbund. The Strasbourg faience collection, the Clemenswerther hunting service and materials for baroque hunting are particularly well-known. From 2005 to 2018 the “Small Festival in the Big Park” took place every year in August in the Clemenswerth Palace.

Buildings

Castle complex

Arrangement of the buildings with the central main castle and auxiliary buildings
(250 years of Jagdschloss Clemenswerth: German postage stamp from 1987)

The conception of a main building surrounded by pavilions , first realized in 1686 for Louis XIV in Marly-le-Roi and repeatedly imitated, is in line with the spirit of late baroque, absolutist ideas of power , and has hardly been preserved anywhere else as completely as here in Clemenswerth. In the center of an (originally paved) square in the form of an eight-spoke wheel stands the two-storey corps de logis with the lord's living room and representative room on a cross-shaped floor plan . The windows of the symmetrical building look into the eight viewing aisles of the outdoor area. The building is made of brick , and the decorative decoration made of Baumberger sand-lime brick by Johann Christoph Manskirsch , as well as the interior decoration, refers to the theme of hunting . In addition to the year of construction 1737, the chronograms in the window crowns also refer to their different types .

The central main building is surrounded by eight pavilions, seven of which served as guest houses and farm buildings. Some of them are named after the elector's dioceses .

The eighth pavilion in the north of the complex houses the palace chapel designed by Schlaun. The interior is designed in the Rococo style, the artistic equipment goes back to FJ Roth and V. Bigari, but was originally intended to be designed by Johann Evangelist Holzer . The well-known fresco painter died in Clemworth before he could start work. In the wing of the building facing the garden there is a small monastery of the Capuchin Order , which Clemens August summoned to Clemenswerth in 1741. The Capuchins are a mendicant order . Clemens August, however, wanted the Capuchins in Clemenswerth to devote themselves entirely to pastoral care and to be free from the necessity of scheduling . Therefore he obtained a papal dispensation in 1738 , according to which they were allowed to live on the interest of a foundation capital. "The howling of the hunting dogs has stopped and has given way to the songs of the poor Capuchins," noted Johann Gottfried Hoche in 1798 while passing through.

Palace chapel pavilion with monastery building
High altar
Relic of the catacomb saint Fructuosus
Ceiling fresco

The chapel pavilion is followed clockwise in the northeast of the complex by the pavilion Münster , in which the guest rooms of the Capuchin monastery were located. The pavilion of Münster is followed by the pavilion Hildesheim , which served as a cavalier's house for the elector's guests and to which the pavilion Paderborn adjoins, the extension of which houses the kitchen wing and the former latrines of the palace. As part of the museum, porcelain and faience are exhibited there today . In the south of the complex is the Osnabrück Pavilion , whose collections thematically refer to the Teutonic Order . The following pavilion Clemens August is used for the exhibition of contemporary ceramic art, the following pavilion Coellen to the west currently houses a permanent exhibition by Wolfgang Pohl . The last pavilion is the Mergentheim pavilion , which is now used by the palace administration.

Outdoor facilities

The central castle stands in the middle of a large hunting star , the aisles of which can be observed from the windows of the salons. In line with the idea of the hunting lodge, the beech forest extends to the side walls of the pavilions. The entire complex of the hunting forest is almost bell-shaped when viewed from the air. The point is directed towards the municipality of Sögel, at the opposite end there are three ponds connected by ditches. North of the Capuchin monastery is separated the Baroque monastery garden with cut Taxus - and Buxus is almost unchanged -Gehölzen since the 18th century and in the visual axis as Point de vue called Gloriette, one built for Clemens August Hermitage , follows. The monastery garden also houses an orchard. The outdoor facilities also include a forest park and three ponds connected by canals.

Castle pond with "top dog"
View through the monastery garden to the monastery
Avenue to the castle
Stables
Clemens August Memorial

To the west of the facility, on the way to Sögel , is a semicircular curved building for the former horse stables. This stables was originally supposed to be closed to the full by a mirror-image counterpart with a dog pen, but remained unfinished.

Opposite the Marstall is the Clemens August monument. It is a cast of a large sculpture, the original of which (from 1757) is in the park of the Boesner metal factory in Niederbieber near Neuwied.

construction

The foundation stone was laid in 1737. Due to the remote location, the procurement of building materials was logistically difficult. The wood and bricks required could still be found in the vicinity. The sandstone, which does not occur in the region, was transported from Baumberg in the Münsterland and from Huckberg between Osnabrück and Rheine. The roof tiles from the Weser Uplands first had to be brought by boat across the Weser, along the North Sea coast to Emden and from there overland to Clemenswerth. The Italian marble and so-called " Esterkes " were obtained from Groningen . The sensitive glass had the longest transport route and had to be brought from Frankfurt am Main to its destination. The building materials are supplemented by limestone from Rheine.

restoration

The first restoration work did not take place until 1949 and was mainly used to preserve the substance. Only after the purchase of the palace complex in 1967 by the Aschendorf-Hümmling district was a comprehensive renovation and restoration of the complex started. The focus of the work was on efforts to convey the most original possible impression of the interior of the main castle, whereas the outer pavilions were prepared as exhibition rooms. A detailed reconstruction or restoration was possible on the basis of the detailed descriptions and records of various contemporary witnesses on the inventory and the wall decorations . The marble floor in the salon of the main pavilion was extensively restored in 1983. The restoration of Clemens August I's private rooms on the upper floor of the palace pavilion was a challenge, as the original fabric covering of the antichamber was stolen during the use of the palace during World War II. Only small sections could be used to reconstruct the colors. Based on the various records, including photographs, the fabric coverings could be rewoven by hand. It shows a hunting landscape that is supposed to make the room appear larger.

Emslandmuseum Schloss Clemenswerth

The Emslandmuseum Clemenswerth is a cultural and historical museum that offers a wide range of baroque, regional and contemporary exhibitions. As a hunting star system that needs to be preserved, the Emsland Museum is a total work of art that unites nature and culture and balances nature conservation and garden monument maintenance . Particular emphasis is placed on the educational mandate, which is why a cross-generational museum offering should attract the broadest possible spectrum of visitors. A comprehensive view of life in the castle in the time of Clemens August I should be made possible, which is why attention is also paid to supply rooms such as the kitchen and objects relating to the life of the servants . This is based on the elements of collecting, preserving, researching and exhibiting.

In order to guarantee the preservation of the Clemenswerth hunting lodge for the public, the old district of Aschendorf / Hümmling entered into negotiations with the owners of the palace at the time, the Arenberg family, who were also prepared to sell the palace. In December 1968 the purchase agreement was concluded and the Altkreis became the owner of the palace, the eight pavilions and the monastery garden . The forest and pond systems were only acquired by the Emsland district in 1996 .

Since politicians saw the need for a cultural history museum for and about the Emsland, the former districts of Aschendorf-Hümmling, Lingen and Meppen decided in 1972 to set up such a museum in the premises of the castle. Eckard Wagner (1941–2019) took over the position of founding director, who was given the task of setting up three departments: hunting customs of the last three centuries, prehistory and early history as well as Emsland's living culture of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the following years, the historical rooms were extensively restored, the castle kitchen was reconstructed in 1987 and the original furnishings of the castle were modeled through repurchases such as the well-known Clemenswerther hunting service.

literature

in order of appearance

Walter Borchers: Das Jagdschloss Clemenswerth , in: Johann Conrad Schlaun , exhibition catalog Münster, 1973, vol. 1, pp. 80-103
Bernhard Köster : Clemenswerth: a historical homeland novella. 2nd Edition. Krimphoff, Sassenberg 1982, ISBN 3-921787-06-15 .
Hans-Herbert Möller : Reclam's art guide Germany. Volume 5: Lower Saxony, Hanseatic Cities, Schleswig-Holstein. Art monuments and museums. (= Universal library. 8473). 6th edition. Reclam, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-15-008473-3 .
For the restoration of Hunting Lodge Clemenswerth in Sögel. In: Hans-Herbert Möller (Ed.): Restoration of cultural monuments. Examples from the preservation of historical monuments in Lower Saxony (= reports on the preservation of monuments in Lower Saxony . Supplement 2). Lower Saxony State Administration Office - Institute for Monument Preservation . Niemeyer, Hameln 1989, ISBN 3-87585-152-8 , pp. 463-480.

Emslandmuseum Schloß Clemenswerth (Ed.): 250 years of the Capuchin Monastery of Clemenswerth 1741–1991 . Emslandmuseum, Sögel 1991, ISBN 3-88077-124-3 .

Ernst Andreas Friedrich : The Hunting Lodge Clemenswerth. In: Ders .: If stones could talk. From the history of Lower Saxony. Volume 2, Landbuch-Verlag, Hanover 1992, ISBN 3-7842-0479-1 , pp. 165-167.

Georg Dehio : Handbook of German Art Monuments, Bremen Lower Saxony , Munich 1992, pp. 361–364.

Clemworth. Castle in the Emsland (= Emsland - area in the northwest. Volume 9). 3rd edition, updated in the picture section. Emsländischer Heimatbund, Sögel 2000, ISBN 3-88077-084-0 .

Rainer Schomann (ed.), Urs Boeck : Park des Jagdschloss Clemenswerth in: Historical gardens in Lower Saxony, catalog for the state exhibition, opening on June 9, 2000 in the foyer of the Lower Saxony state parliament in Hanover . Hannover, 2000, pp. 116-117.

Emslandmuseum Schloss Clemenswerth - A museum creates a heightened identity. In: Yearbook of the Emsland Heimatbund. Volume 56, 2010, ISSN 0448-1410 , pp. 295-302.

District of Emsland (publisher) in connection with the Emslandmuseum Schloss Clemenswerth. Working group of the district of Emsland: Clemens August: Prince-Bishop, Hunting Lord, Patron. Catalog for a cultural-historical exhibition on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Schloss Clemenswerth. Emsland, 1987, ISBN 3-922469-29-9

Emslandmuseum Schloss Clemenswerth / Emsländischer Heimatbund (Hrsg.) / Eckard Wagner: Jagdschloss Clemenswerth in Emsland. Goldschmidt-Druck, Sögel, 2004

Emslandmuseum Schloss Clemenswerth: Hundreds of hands work. Exhibition catalog. Sögel, 2012, ISBN 978-3-943719-00-0

Silke Surberg-Röhr, A princely desire ... From electoral hunts and hunting weapons at Clemenswerth Castle, in: Study Society for Emsländische Regionalgeschichte (Ed.), Emsländische Geschichte, Vol. 19, Haselünne 2012, pp. 503-533.

Oliver Fok, Emslandmuseum Schloss Clemenswerth - A museum breaks new ground, in: Studiengesellschaft für Emsländische Regionalgeschichte (Ed.), Emsländische Geschichte, vol. 21, Haselünne 2014, pp. 173–217.

Individual evidence

↑ Or an eight-pointed sun, a symbol for the ruler apostrophized as Electeur soleil .
^ Franz Solan Nüßlein: Pastoral care of the religious orders in Emsland. In: From monasteries and monastery people. Orders work in the Emsland. Emsländischer Heimatbund, Sögel 1999, pp. 120-133.
↑ Wolfgang Seegrün : Clemens August von Bayern: Priest, Bishop, Politician . In: Niedersächsisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte , vol. 60 (1988), pp. 15–32, here p. 20.
^ Johann Gottfried Hoche: Journey through Osnabrück and Niedermünster in the Saterland, East Frisia and Gröningen . Friedrich Wilmans, Bremen 1800, p. 446.
↑ Martin Miersch: The image of the Electeur soleil. Rococo ruler's iconography using the example of the Cologne Elector and Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Clemens August (1700–1761) . Elwert, Marburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-7708-1305-6 , p. 55.
↑ Fok, Oliver, 1960-, Lemmermann, Holger., Dethlefs, Gerd., Surberg-Röhr, Silke., Special exhibition on the occasion of the 275th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of Clemenswerth Castle. Accompanying volume for the special exhibition on the occasion of the 275th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of Clemenswerth Castle . Emslandmuseum Schloss Clemenswerth, Sögel 2012, ISBN 978-3-943719-00-0 .
↑ Achilles, Walter., Aschoff, Hans-Georg., Exhibition (1987.: Meppen): Clemens August: Fürstbischof, Jagdherr, Patron; Catalog for a cultural-historical exhibition on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Schloss Clemenswerth . Rasch, Bramsche 1987, ISBN 3-922469-29-9 .
^ Castle Clemenswerth - the princely experience, model. Retrieved October 9, 2019 .
↑ Restoration work on the Clemenswerth hunting lodge . In: Structural Engineering . tape 75 , no. 6 , June 1998, ISSN 0932-8351 , p. 420-420 , doi : 10.1002 / bate.199803470 .