Hereditary funeral of the von Stein-Liebenstein zu Barchfeld family
The hereditary burial of the von Stein-Liebenstein zu Barchfeld family is a private family cemetery, which is located in a wood, about three kilometers east of the town of Barchfeld in the Wartburg district , "above the Steinmetzenberge" (field name according to the cadastral map). Access is from the north via the neighboring hamlet Raboldsgrube or from the east via the hamlet Sorga .
history
The family cemetery of the barons von Stein-Liebenstein zu Barchfeld was laid out in 1835 after the von Stein were no longer allowed to be buried in their crypt in the church in Barchfeld, and used and cared for until the 1930s.
The cemetery has a square footprint of around 20 × 20 m. It is located on the highest elevation of the so-called Steinschen Heide, an approx. 31 hectare forest area, which until 1944 belonged to the allodial Fideikommiss of the family in Barchfeld. The cemetery was severely damaged in the course of the land reform in 1945/1946 . There is no confirmation of expropriation from the Soviet military administration, tolerance from the German state must be assumed, so there was no proper deedication. Without supervision and care, the cemetery fell victim to vandalism and neglect in the years that followed. The fence and gate were stolen, the cast iron cross of the founder Christian von Stein on a three-step pedestal in the middle of the cemetery was pulled down by tractor drivers from the local LPG and left in the forest.
The path leading to the cemetery was made accessible by relatives of the Stein family after the fall of the Wall in 1989 and the overgrown place was restored to a relatively dignified state. A grave could be given a name, and a wooden cross erected in the middle indicates the cemetery as the burial site again. Before the war, the inventory consisted predominantly of still existing lying stones with white marble slabs and gold-plated lettering. Two grave crosses had porcelain plaques. A grave slab is made of black marble, a grave slab of black slate.
The family coat of arms
At the entrance to the hereditary cemetery (2007)
Memorial stone
literature
- Roland Geißler : hiking guide to Bad Liebenstein and the Inselsberg , Verlag Rockstuhl, Bad Langensalza 2007, ISBN 978-3-938997-79-6
- Klaus Schmidt: Nature and homeland book Barchfeld / Werra. A representation of nature, landscape and historical development . Self-published by Naturschutzbund Germany, Barchfeld, 2008.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Meiningen State Archives, holdings: Barchfeld Castle Archives, files: Friedhof auf der Heide
Coordinates: 50 ° 47 ′ 47.5 " N , 10 ° 20 ′ 11.9" E