Cemetery (Neudenau)
The cemetery in Neudenau in the Heilbronn district in northern Baden-Württemberg was laid out in the late 18th century. Noteworthy are the historic Wolfgang Chapel and the burial site of the Neudenau Merckle family, which is also a listed building.
history
Originally the place around the old parish church St. Laurentius was the burial place in Neudenau. After the parish church was rebuilt around 1740 and the school building was built in 1780, there was insufficient space there. Therefore, in late 1780, the power of attorney was given for the consecration of a new cemetery, which was set up at the Wolfgang chapel below the village on the other bank of the Jagst . A 26.41 ares large plot of land near the chapel owned by the Catholic parish provided it free of charge, the parish acquired an adjacent plot of land from City Councilor Stanislaus Diemer.
The new cemetery had already become too small again shortly after 1800, which is why the community acquired further adjacent properties from Bernhard Andreas Brechter, Marx Grieslich and the lamb host Merckle to expand it. When selling his garden, lamb host Franz Michael Merckle made it a condition that a plot of land measuring 8.50 × 8.50 meters should remain in the possession of the Merckle family as a family grave. The cemetery with the parcel number 613 is therefore divided into three parcels to this day: The Wolfgang chapel, which is owned by the Catholic parish, is at No. 613 / I; No. 613 / II includes the cemetery including the paths and belongs to the city of Neudenau; No. 613 / III is the Merckle grave site owned by a community of heirs.
Gravesite of the Merckle family
The Merckle grave, located on its own plot, measures 4.50 x 4.50 meters and is framed with sandstones. Slabs also made of sandstone cover a tomb in which there are twelve individual masonry tombs with name boards in front of the chambers. The sandstone grave stele, which is decorated with four figures, extends below the floor to the bottom of the crypt. The tomb was created by the Neckarsulm sculptor Johann Zartmann . Between 1857 and 1934, twelve adults and three small children were buried in the listed family grave. A zinc coffin (for Theodor Wilhelm Merckle, † 1901) was too big for the intended chamber and was therefore deposited in the cross aisle, this single crypt remained empty.
The Neudenauer branch of the Merckle family produced innkeepers, city councilors and post office keepers in particular. Franz Michael Merckle (1778–1865) was a lamb host in Neudenau. His son Franz Theodor Merckle I (1807–1889) followed him as a lamb host and was also city councilor and district deputy. His son Philipp Karl Merckle (1833-1891) took over the Gasthaus Lamm after his father opened the first postal expedition in Neudenau in 1859. Philipp Karl's brother Johann Franz Merckle (1835–1889) was a merchant, city councilor and from 1888 until his untimely death mayor of Neudenau. Philipp Karl's son Franz Theodor Merckle II (1865–1923) was also a lamb host from 1890 and from 1901, like his predecessors, also a city councilor. In addition to these lamb farmers and city councilors from a total of four Merckle generations, the wives and some children were buried in the family grave.
Detail of the tomb
Heavy weathering
Inscription for donors of the monument
In addition to the family grave, other historical buildings and works of art in Neudenau can be traced back to the Merckle family. Franz Michael Merckle donated the Ölberggruppe at the parish church of St. Laurentius in 1864, Franz Theodor Merckle I donated the altarpiece for the parish church in 1867 and made considerable donations for the construction of the Holy Cross chapel and for the renovation of the 16th century, from The crucifixion group on Lindenplatz that was transferred to the community. Franz Theodor Merckle II built the post office on Lindenplatz. Johann Franz Merckle was one of the founders of the market fountain at the town hall. The construction of the row of houses comprising five historical buildings between the Gasthaus Lamm and the property at Kirchplatz 2 in the years 1800 to 1880 also goes back to the family. The family's former barn is now used as a fire station.
literature
- Fridolin Vochezer: The cemetery in Neudenau. In: Neudenauer Heimatblätter No. 10, October 1984 and No. 11, November 1984
- Elisabeth Straßer: The grave of the Merckle family in Neudenau. In: Neudenauer Heimatblätter No. 327, March 2011 and No. 328, April 2011
Coordinates: 49 ° 17 ′ 22 ″ N , 9 ° 16 ′ 22 ″ E