The legend of the Baxmann

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Baxmann fountain in Hessisch Oldendorf

The legend of Baxmann takes place in Hessisch Oldendorf and the surrounding area, according to which Cord Baxmann is said to have got his fortune through robbery and fraud. After his death, he continued to mess around the city.

Cord Baxmann as a person

Cord Baxmann was born on September 23, 1599 in Hessisch Oldendorf and died there in 1690. He was the landlord of the Ratskeller, town piper and merchant. He had a great fortune and was said to have obtained it through fraud and robbery. Due to his old age, which was more than atypical for this time, the citizens believed that he had made a covenant with the devil.

The legend

According to legend, Cord Baxmann died at the age of 91. A large number of citizens took part in the funeral procession to his final resting place. When they came back to the city, they were amazed when the Baxmann, who had just been buried, stood at the window of his house and looked laughing at the citizens. So it was decided to bury him a second time. But this time he went back to town from the cemetery with the mourners.

Thereupon the Hessisch Oldendorfer decided to banish him from a Paderborn monastery with the help of two monks. He was brought to the edge of the forest near the Hohenstein in a horse-drawn carriage with four strong black horses . When the team reached the spot, the black horses had turned moldy from the effort. When the driver turned around to check on Cord Baxmann, the spell was broken and he happily went back to Hessisch Oldendorf.

He was banned one more time. This time the monks even took him personally to a spring in the Hohenstein woods, which he was supposed to empty with the help of a sieve. Should he complete the task, he would be released from the spell. One year an icy winter hit the country and freeze the spring. The Baxmann then broke the ice into pieces and spread it on the surrounding meadows. With that his spell was broken again and again.

When the Baxmann was back in Hessisch Oldendorf, the citizens were frightened and again called the Paderborn monks for help. This placed a new ban on him. So it was now his job to empty the spring with a thimble.

Since that day he has not been seen in Hessisch Oldendorf, and it can be assumed that he has not yet been able to fulfill this task.

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