Teutonic order in Siersdorf

The ruin of the Teutonic Order in Siersdorf from the east (courtyard side)

The Teutonic Order Siersdorf is the ruin of a castle-like mansion in the Aldenhoven district of Siersdorf in the North Rhine-Westphalian district of Düren . It is located west of the Siersdorfer parish church and belonged to the Alden Biesen Ballei .

After severe damage in 1543 during the Third War of the Geldr Succession , the Land Commander Heinrich von Reuschenberg zu Setterich had the building rebuilt in the Renaissance style from 1578 . Extensively restored by the owners at the time in the 1920s , the commander was largely destroyed by heavy artillery hits in November 1944 .

After the mansion ruins on 25 April 1986 as a monument under monument protection was provided, and the recording was followed on October 4, 1989 the entire area to come as archaeological monument in the monument list .

description

The Kommende used to be a five-part building ensemble , consisting of a mansion, farm buildings to the southeast with an almost U-shaped floor plan, a church and two agricultural estates, the so-called Great Court and the Small Court .

Heraldic stones above the entrance

The brick mansion is a rectangular single-wing complex measuring around 42 by 26 meters with four almost square corner towers that are accessible from the main building through diagonal corridors. The two-storey building in the Renaissance style has a bluestone base and is surrounded by a trench about eight meters wide and five meters deep with a countercarp . Its façade faces southeast and has a risalit in the middle that protrudes slightly from the line of the wall , which takes up the staircase with a straight staircase inside. It is crowned by a stepped gable with a round arch. This had a small sculpture at the top, which was destroyed in World War II. The former, four-story hipped roof , which made up half of the total height of the building, with its former lantern and the differently shaped helmets of the towers are no longer preserved because they were also destroyed by the effects of the war. Above the entrance in the risalit you can find the coat of arms of the Teutonic Order, that of the United Duchies of Jülich-Kleve-Berg and that of the builder of the manor, Heinrich von Reuschenberg, as well as his Latin motto SOLI DEO GLORIA (German: Only God for Honor) as well the inscription SVB VMBRA ALARVM TVARVM PROTEGE NOS (German: Protect us under the shadow of your wings). The walls of the building are internally plastered with a layer of straw and clay , on which an additional thin layer of fine plaster is applied.

The neighboring Catholic parish church of St. John the Baptist used to be the burial place of the knights who lived in the Kommende. Built in the first quarter of the 16th century by Commander Conrad von Reuschenberg, the latter had their crypt designed as a burial place for the Teutonic Order. Her elaborately carved altar from Flanders also dates from this period . Hans Kunnes dates it from 1520 to 1522. The choir stalls of the church with the coat of arms of the Teutonic Order and the Reuschenberg family come from the time of Conrad's successor Franz von Reuschenberg, who headed the Siersdorfer Kommende from 1524 to 1527. In addition to eight wooden figures, which are attributed to the workshop of the master von Elsloo , the altarpiece from 1541 and the rood screen arch , which is unique in its kind and donated by Commander Johann von Goer , are of art historical value.

history

The beginnings

The foundation stone for the 600-year history of the Siersdorfer Kommende was laid in 1219 by an award from Count Wilhelm III of Jülich . who gave the Teutonic Order the church in Siersdorf “with all accessories”. It was his thanks for a care by the friars who Wilhelm III. learned of malaria during the Fifth Crusade in Jerusalem . Siersdorf was the oldest religious settlement within the Alden Biesen Ballei. In the donation also a former was Frankish fief included, with the patronage of the neighboring church was connected. In its place, the order had the so-called Small Court built between 1264 and 1267 under Commander Volcwin (us) . This first future building stood behind the now destroyed gate area of the current one and behind the tithe barn of today's Kleiner Hof . At the same time a new church building was built.

Prior to this, the order's amicable ties to the Jülich ducal house had resulted in numerous donations from the Jülich rulers and privileges, which significantly advanced the development of the order and the expansion of its holdings in the Siersdorf region. So had Count William IV. Of Jülich , for example, three morning exchanged behind the former farm of the Order against three located in the Wild Stock tomorrow and thus made possible the construction of the first building to come.

Heyday

View of the Coming Siersdorf in 1700, etching by Romeyn de Hooghe

After the neighboring church had been rebuilt between 1510 and 1520 under Commander Conrad von Reuschenberg, it - like the village - was burned down by mercenaries Charles V during the Third War of the Geldrian Succession in 1543 . The coming itself was the victim of looting and was partially destroyed in the process.

After the departure of the Siersdorfer Komtur Johann von Goer in 1544, his office was not occupied for the following eight years. Commander Adam von Holtorp (also von Holtorf), appointed in 1566, only held the position until April 1569, after which the position was vacated for 22 years. During this time Siersdorf was administered from Alden Biesen . Heinrich von Reuschenberg acted as administrator of the Coming, who was also Landkomtur Alden Biesen from 1572 and from 1566 to 1567 and 1580 to 1584 Commander of the Teutonic Order Commander St. Aegidius in Aachen . In 1578 he initiated the long-needed new building of the Kommendenherrenhaus. The cost-intensive work on this was supervised by master builders of the Teutonic Order, but the architect of the building is still unknown today.

Under Edmund von Reuschenberg zu Overbach, who was Komtur in Siersdorf from 1591, the new building of the Great Court took place in 1607 , which Edmund's coat of arms along with that of the Teutonic Order and the corresponding year on the building indicate. Further construction work on the upcoming one did not follow until 1750. The interior of the manor house was modernized and the windows of the building were given a Baroque style by inserting arched windows instead of cross-frame windows . The roof was also given a lantern. At that time there were kitchen and ornamental gardens in the immediate vicinity of the building.

Gradual decline

In 1794, like many other areas on the left bank of the Rhine , Siersdorf and its commander were occupied by French troops in the course of the First Coalition War and came to France with the Peace of Lunéville in 1801. Napoleon Bonaparte officially dissolved the Teutonic Order in 1809, and its property was nationalized. War veterans of the French army moved into quarters in the coming months. Valuable furnishings, such as numerous portraits of grand masters and commons, were sold for one franc each, and the furniture was burned. Much of the interior has been lost during this time.

From 1814 Siersdorf belonged to Prussia, whose domain administration continued the sales of former property to private buyers. The manor house was auctioned on February 8, 1820 and came with 394 acres of land for 41,000  thalers to the Laurensberger Gerhard Heusch and thus in private ownership. His family had the manor house once again extensively restored in the 1920s.

Severe damage in the Second World War left the manor house in ruins

Destruction in World War II

During the Second World War, the Siersdorfer Kommende suffered severe damage. An American artillery hit damaged the roof, while a second hit severely damaged the north tower. On November 18, 1944, American troops managed to take the facility, which was then used as a command post. In the chaos of war, the interior of the mansion was lost.

The war damage was not repaired for the time being, so that the main building began to gradually deteriorate. In 1950, the owner family also had to hand over large parts of the property belonging to the coming property to the Eschweiler Bergwerk-Verein (EBV). In addition to land, this also included the farm buildings of the plant. Despite some security measures in the 1950s and 1960s, the ruins of the manor house continued to fall into disrepair, because the scope of the work only went so far that the remains of the building did not collapse completely.

Reconstruction plans

The ruins of the manor house are now in a "critical condition". In 2001, a support association was founded to promote and support plans for the reconstruction of the Coming House. In the course of these efforts, five diploma theses were created in 2006 at the Institute for Building History and Monument Preservation of the Faculty of Architecture at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences , which contain conservation and utilization concepts for the upcoming Siersdorf. However, none of them were implemented. In May 2012, however, the development association received a commitment from the federal government for funds of up to 150,000 euros in order to guarantee the basic structural security of the ruin, which is seriously endangered. In the following month, the then owner, a 22-strong community of heirs, transferred the property on June 5, 2012 to the friends' association, which had an urgently needed roof renovation carried out in November 2013. After the renovation of the future building has been completed, it is planned to use it as a documentation center for the Teutonic Order, among other things.

literature

• Guido von Büren: The Teutonic Order Commander Siersdorf. An important architectural and art monument in the municipality of Aldenhoven. In: Heinz Bielefeldt, Peter Boje, Guido von Büren: Yearbook of the Düren District 2007. Hahne & Schloemer, Düren 2006, ISBN 978-3-927312-77-7 .
• Guido von Büren, Christoph Fischer: The manor house of the Teutonic Order Coming Siersdorf. In: Elmar Alshut, Guido von Büren, Marcell Perse (eds.): A castle is being built ... From Jülich in the Rhineland to Horst in Westphalia. Jülich History Association, Jülich 1997, ISBN 3-930808-064 , pages 351–356. (= Jülich research, volume 5)
• Conrad Doose (Hrsg.): The Teutonic Order-Kommende Siersdorf. A documentation on their history and building history. 2nd Edition. Fischer, Jülich 2006, ISBN 3-87227-072-9 .
• Helmut Holtz: On the history of the Coming Siersdorf. In: Yearbook of the Düren District 1977. Hahne & Schloemer, Düren 1976, ISSN  0342-5835 , pages 55-59.
• Hans Kunnes: "The Commenderie zu Siersdorp". On the history of the settlement of the German Order in Siersdorf in the 16th century. In: Elmar Alshut, Guido von Büren, Marcell Perse (eds.): A castle is being built ... From Jülich in the Rhineland to Horst in Westphalia. Jülich History Association, Jülich 1997, ISBN 3-930808-064 , pages 85–96. (= Jülich research, volume 5)
• Hans Kunnes: The Coming One in Siersdorf, an important testimony to European history. ( PDF; 44 kB )
• Heinrich Neu: The Teutonic Order Coming Siersdorf. An overview of their history. Scientific archive, Bonn 1963.

Web links

Commons : Deutschordenskommende Siersdorf

• Website of the Friends of Kommende Siersdorf e. V.

Footnotes

1. ↑ C. Doose (Ed.): The German Order Commander Siersdorf. 2006, page 42.
2. ↑ ^{a b} C. Doose (Ed.): The German Order Commander Siersdorf. 2006, page 7.
3. ↑ G. v. Büren, C. Fischer: The manor house of the Teutonic Order Coming Siersdorf. 1997, page 354.
4. ↑ Quoted from H. Kunnes: “Die Commenderie zu Siersdorp”. 1997, page 90.
5. ↑ ^{a b} H. Kunnes: "The Commenderie to Siersdorp". 1997, page 87.
6. ↑ H. Kunnes: "The Commenderie to Siersdorp". 1997, page 89.
7. ↑ H. Kunnes: The Coming into Siersdorf, an important example of European history .
8. ^ C. Doose: The Teutonic Order Commander Siersdorf. 2006, page 15.
9. ^ History of the Coming Siersdorf , accessed on March 12, 2009.
10. ^ Eberhard Quadflieg: The German House at St. Gilles in Aachen. In: Journal of the Aachen History Association (ZAGV). Volume 78. Aachen 1966/1967, page 169.
11. ↑ Quoted from H. Kunnes: “Die Commenderie zu Siersdorp”. 1997, page 93.
12. ↑ Hans Kunnes: Documentation about the Siersdorfer Kleine Hof, part 7 . In: Aldenhoven information sheet. Aldenhoven, December 23, 2005. Archived from the original on February 11, 2013 ; accessed on December 23, 2016 . 
13. ↑ ^{a b} C. Doose: The Teutonic Order Commander Siersdorf. 2006, page 21.
14. ^ C. Doose: The Teutonic Order Commander Siersdorf. 2006, page 77.
15. ↑ H. Cunnes: "The Commenderie to Siersdorp". 1997, page 93.
16. ↑ Up to 150,000 euros: Siersdorfer Kommende receives funding . In: Aachener Nachrichten . Edition of May 11, 2012 ( online ).
17. ^ Adi Zantis: Förderverein Kommende Siersdorf: Receipt of the order castle. In: Aachener Nachrichten. Edition of March 26, 2013 ( online ).
18. ^ Facebook page of the Friends' Association , accessed on July 1, 2014.
19. ↑ Information according to C. Doose: Die Deutschordens-Kommende Siersdorf. 2006, pages 20–21, 24 and Damian Hungs: Kommende Siersdorf , accessed on December 31, 2016.

Coordinates: 50 ° 53 ′ 59.5 ″  N , 6 ° 13 ′ 19.5 ″  E