Princely royal stables at Rheda Castle

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Coat of arms of the princes of Bentheim-Tecklenburg

The Princely stables Rheda Castle is a 1760 royal stables built timber-framed house in Rheda-Wiedenbrück ( NRW ).

In 1988 the Princely House of Bentheim-Tecklenburg opened a carriage museum in the historic stables of Rheda Castle .

Buildings and equipment

Rheda Castle (gate guard)
Rheda Castle (warning sign)
Rheda Castle (farm building)

With its half-timbered buildings , the outer bailey of Rheda Castle, which is surrounded by the Ems , largely retains the image of the 18th century.

The farm building ( economy ) from 1732 in the south follows on the west side in a long two-storey straight wing of the stables from 1760 with horse stable and coach house . The timber-framed guard and office from 1780/81 on the side of the driveway in the north corresponds to the Komödienhaus on the south side, built in 1790 as a court theater . With the wide overhang of their roof hips , they frame the stone pillars with the rich wrought iron wings of the castle gate.

In the Carriage Museum in the Marstall, which opened in 1988, a large number of carriage wagons , sledges and the fire engine built in Gütersloh in 1788 for Rheda Castle are on display. The museum in the Komödienhaus, opened at the same time, shows a collection of toys and costumes.

history

Carriages , sledges and harnesses are a piece of cultural history of particular charm. The collection in the rooms of the Marstall offers a comprehensive insight into the heyday of this cultural heritage.

Carriages of the type known today have been around for around 500 years. The word carriage goes back to the western Hungarian town of Kocs , where the first wagons for passenger transport were built. Mainly emperors , kings and the nobility were interested in the novelty ; they also made sure that the carriage was always uphill in appearance, reputation and comfort.

Initially, the car bodies were unsprung mounted directly on the axles , a technology that put the vehicle's occupants under equally strain. Around the 16th century, driving comfort could be improved a little. Suspensions by means of leather straps or curved springs now reduced the lateral vibrations of the car body, but were unable to prevent the vehicle from swinging in the direction of travel . You had to live and travel with that first.

Until 1804! In that year the elliptical leaf suspension was invented. And that meant: a lowered, self-supporting car body and a stable connection between the front and rear axles. Now the carriage was in principle and in fact perfect, it was comfortable, safe and fast.

The well-preserved and perfectly maintained exhibits in the collection at Rheda Castle date from this period . All city, travel and sports cars exhibited in the Carriage Museum as well as the sleighs were used in the castle service.

As part of the NRW - Landesgartenschau 1988 in Rheda-Wiedenbrück the Theater Museum in the Comedy House and the Carriage Museum created next to the reconstructed castle garden in the royal stables.

Exhibits of the exhibition

Vis-a-vis

You sat opposite each other here in pairs, hence the name Vis-à-vis for this type of carriage. Originally, a half-hood should have optically shielded the gentlemen from the servants . The servants stood elevated on the Lakaibrücke above the rear axle. The chassis construction, the heavy wooden axles and the box suspension in S-springs combined with leather straps point to the construction time: 18th century. Thanks to the long boom in the shape of a gooseneck, the driver could turn the wheels at his "nose" to turn sharply.

Berline Coupé

This so-called half-gala vehicle was purchased under Prince Emil zu Bentheim-Tecklenburg . As the discreet company signs under the door sills reveal, the manufacturer was Friedrich Braun , Hessen-Cassel . The construction method - curved long tree and C-springs - was widespread until the beginning of the 19th century. What is unique about the Rhedaer Berline is the exquisite furnishings, which testify to the high standards of the princely client.

Landau

The name Landau goes back to a special carriage that Emperor Joseph I had built for his journey in 1702 from Vienna to the besieged Landau fortress , the "Landau Chaise". An all-weather car that instead of a fixed roof has a divided hood that can be opened forwards and backwards . The Rhedaer Landauer, built around 1850, still shows a strong relationship to the Berline . However, the best blacksmith and wheelwright work , fully retractable door panes, valuable interior fittings, silver fittings and a valuable trestle seat curtain also make this Landau a half-gala car.

Berline

This type of carriage was developed in Berlin by Philip de Chiese , Quartermaster General of Elector Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg . The Berline was the standard coach par excellence from the mid-18th century. The Rhedaer Berline is also over 200 years old. The different construction and style of the chassis and body, as well as the different paintwork, suggest that the components did not always belong together. The window frames may also have originally been glazed. The wooden " Incognito " boards, on the other hand, were used when it was appropriate for reasons of discretion .

Travel chaise

Count Moritz Casimir II (1735–1805) often brought this light two-in-hand touring car to the Netherlands and Flanders . From around 1650, there were similar wagons, the » Postchaisen «, on the German postal routes for those who were in a hurry and solvent . Strong wooden axles, belt suspension on large C-springs, double gooseneck long boom and the type of wheel attachment document the construction period: the second half of the 18th century. A "hair bag" on the back of the cabin held the small luggage : umbrellas, rolls of files, utensils.

Children's strollers

The Benjamin among the Rhedaer carriages has all the essential components of a large car: suspension, double long tree, upholstery and even a beautifully painted back. The stroller was pulled by pony or by hand . And certainly more than once from the count's father Moritz Casimir II, who had it built back then.

Other exhibits from the collection

It is said that after the lost campaign against Russia , Napoleon Bonaparte traveled part of the way back to France with this beautiful baroque sleigh .
  • The fire engine ( fire engine ) with double lever pump from 1788 and the six leather buckets from around the same year.
  • Various manual sliding carriages.
  • A two-wheeled messenger wagon for the princely courier.
  • The Fourgon , a French "long-distance truck" with a load of 1500 kg !
For the often valuable transports, the Fourgon was prepared “ robber-proof ” on the back : with a heavy bolt lock and strong prongs on the footboard to protect against uninvited passengers .
  • A sporty Spider- Phaeton , built by P. Scheurer & Co. (Düsseldorf).
The stately self-propelled driver sat in front on the comfortable, weather-protected box , the "grooms" sat in the back.
  • An old carriage for small trips in town and country.

In a separate room a variety of military, luxury and side saddles issued to bridles , reins , linen and work and coach harnesses in collar - and Brustblatt execution . These Riding and Driving bits of all kinds, jack , Bremm end » skids " and splendor valances .

Trivia

The story of Moritz-Casimir I's horse , which is said to have saved the count from a gang of robbers by jumping over the Ems , is fascinating for children . The skeleton of the horse was preserved and can still be seen in the Carriage Museum today.

The wedding carriage of the Hereditary Prince and today's head of the house, Maximilian zu Bentheim-Tecklenburg , is also on display in the stables .

literature

  • Moritz von Bentheim-Tecklenburg-Rheda: sagas and images, seals. Stahel, Würzburg 1853 ( digitized version ).
  • Heinrich Kreisel: float carriage and sleigh. KW Hiersemann, 1927.
  • W. Voigt: The princely stables in Rheda 100 years ago. In: Gütersloher Articles, Issue 22, January 1971.
  • Hans-Joachim Böckenholt: Castle and Lordship of Rheda. Rhode Druck und Verlag, Harsewinkel (Marienfeld) 1979, ISBN 3-921961-02-8 .
  • Franz Mühlen: Castle and Residence Rheda. (= Westfälische Kunststätten. Issue 6). Westfälischer Heimatbund , Münster 1979, DNB 800711343
  • Hermann Schaub: The rule of Rheda and their residence city. From the beginning to the end of the Old Kingdom. Publishing house for regional history, Bielefeld 2006, ISBN 978-38953-461-01 .
  • Andres Furger: Driving skills. Man, horse and cart from 1700 until today. Olms, Hildesheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-487-08484-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Franz Mühlen: Castle and Residence Rheda. Westfälische Kunststätten, Volume 6, Westfälischer Heimatbund (Ed.), Münster 1979, p. 14
  2. ↑ Suspension and damping Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2019
  3. ↑ a b Museum flyer: Historical carriages - Princely Marstall at Rheda Castle. Fürstlich zu Bentheim-Tecklenburgische Chancellery (Ed.), Rheda-Wiedenbrück 1988
  4. ^ The 1902 industrial and commercial exhibition in Düsseldorf
  5. ^ Rheda Castle - The Carriage Museum

Coordinates: 51 ° 51 ′ 2 "  N , 8 ° 17 ′ 43"  E