Gabriele Isenberg

Gabriele Isenberg , born in 1943 , grew up in Hattingen , is a German historian and medieval archaeologist . From 1997 to 2008 she was chief archaeologist at the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL). During her tenure, the LWL Archaeological Museum moved to Herne in 2003 . The remaining parts of the LWL archeology for Westphalia , including the management, administration and library, moved from Münster's city ​​center to the so-called Speicherstadt in Münster-Coerde in October 2008 .

Live and act

Gabriele Isenberg grew up in Hattingen as the daughter of a doctor and initially studied history, art history and German. After participating in excavations in Winchester , she became passionate about archeology. In England she learned all the techniques and methods for dealing with cultural assets in the ground: from measuring the terrain to exposing walls and broken pieces to drawing. The most important thing for them was the interpretation of the finds.

Gabriele Isenberg did a great job during her 34 years of service in the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe and made decisive progress in archeology in Westphalia.

Organizational matters

As head of the fiber optic archeology, she had to cope with difficult tasks:

• New locations in Herne and Münster were created and relocations had to be organized.
• The State Museum in Herne, opened in 2003, had to be designed. With around 10,000 finds, it has since been showing the history of the people in the region from the Stone Age to the present day.
• The move of the LWL archeology to Münster-Coerde required years of preparation.

advancement

• During her time as director she promoted the establishment of “ city ​​archeologies ”, for example in Soest and Dortmund .
• The cooperation between LWL-Archeologie and the Natural Science Association for Westphalia in the form of conferences and publications was promoted.
• She also trained young scientists in medieval and modern archeology.

Excavations

A great abundance of excavations and investigations brought them forward. When it was adopted in summer 2008, the press release was aptly subtitled: “A woman digs through Westphalia”. The medieval expert has led hundreds of archaeological investigations since 1974, from brief construction site observation to large-scale excavations lasting several years. Some important projects were:

• The investigations in the "Church of Saint Ida" (canonized on November 26, 980) in Herzfeld (Lippetal) (Soest district) from 1975 to 1976.
• In Corvey (Höxter district), medieval archaeologists led by Isenberg uncovered the Probstei tom Roden from 1975 to 1980 . It was founded in the 12th century and abandoned in the 16th century, so it was never built over. In this way one could determine the complete floor plan of the monastery.
• In Soest she explored from 1981 to 1982 a medieval Salzer quarters. Salt had been produced here since the 6th century.
• From 1985 to 1991 Isenberg and her team completely examined the moated castle Haus Witten in Witten-Herbede (Ennepe-Ruhr district) from the 13th and 14th centuries. Century.
• In Münster, too, she led excavations in the city center from 1986 to 1989, which were necessary before the city library moved into its new building here. The three-year investigations uncovered the oldest settlement in Münster outside the Domburg.
• The last major excavation - Isenberg called it "one of her favorite excavations" - was in 1991, 1992 and 1994 at St. Peter and Paul in Marsberg - Obermarsberg (Hochsauerlandkreis). Here she was able to prove that the 13th century church actually stands on the foundations of St. Peter's Church, which Charlemagne had built in 785 in the former Saxon fortress of Eresburg .

Publications

• Regesta Imperii: Publications by Gabriele Isenberg , accessed on March 24, 2018.
• German National Library: Publications by Gabriele Isenberg , accessed on March 25, 2018.

Web links

• Website for regional studies research at the LWL , accessed on March 25, 2018.
• Website of the Landesmuseum in Herne , accessed on March 25, 2018.
• Roman Museum in Haltern am See , accessed on March 25, 2018.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Press release on the farewell to Gabriele Isenberg , accessed on March 26, 2018.