Sanctuary in Jelenia Góra

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Godfather's death on the roof of the crypt house No. 2 (around 1716)
God the Father in the Kingdom of Heaven on the tombstone of the Friede family (around 1725)

The grace cemetery in Jelenia Góra (Polish Cmentarz Łaski w Jelenia Górze ; Cmentarz przy Kościele Łaski w Jelenia Górze ; Dawny cmentarz ewangelicki w Jelenia Górze ) is a baroque cemetery complex in the city of Jelenia Góra ( Hirschberg ) in Lower Silesia (Poland). It was built from 1709 on the model of the German early modern Camposanto systems and was in use until 1881. The names Hirschberger Stadtgottesacker , Gnadenfriedhof or Evangelischer Friedhof in Hirschberg were also used to describe it .

History and art history

The Protestant community in Hirschberg

Gnadenkirche and Kantorhaus

In the course of the 16th century, there was an overcrowding of the inner-city churchyards due to the strong population growth . Because of this, and because the Reformation rejected the veneration of relics associated with the special layout of the churchyards , the churchyards were relocated to the localities , especially in the Protestant rulers , as originally in pre-Christian times. This is how the “Gnadenkirchhof in Hirschberg” came into being. At the time it was founded in 1710, it was outside the city walls, in front of the old "Schildauer Tor".

The Reformation soon found supporters in Hirschberg too; In 1524 the preacher Georg Langnickel from Goldberg, appointed by the town of Hirschberg, gave his first Protestant sermon in the Hirschberg parish church. In 1528 at the latest, the former Catholic pastor Johann Sauermann confessed to the new teaching. Until the beginning of the Thirty Years' War , the Protestant community in Hirschberg grew steadily and soon formed the majority of the population, favored by the relatively tolerant religious policy of the Bohemian rulers Maximilian II and Rudolph II . After the Peace of Westphalia , in the course of the Counter Reformation in 1650, Protestant worship in the parish church, which was given to the Catholics, was prohibited. In the years 1650 to 1709, for example, the evangelicals visited the churches in Jauer , Harpersdorf , Propsthain , Nieder Wiesa near Greiffenberg and Gebhardsdorf in Upper Lusatia .

According to the Altranstädter Convention 1707, which the Swedish King Charles XII. had wrested from Emperor Joseph I , the Protestant Hirschberger received permission to build their own church of grace , a Protestant school and a Protestant cemetery . On April 22, 1709, the plan of the planned church of grace was marked out in a solemn ceremony. The completed building was inaugurated in 1718. 1709–1711 the Protestant grammar school was built and in 1710 the cemetery of grace was put into use. The new buildings were financed primarily by members of the rich Hirschberger “Kauffmanns-Societät”, established in 1658 and which also provided the most influential members of the new Protestant church council . However, the Catholic city pastor retained various - especially financial - claims during church evangelical celebrations such as baptism, marriage and burial until 1758. The Protestant Hirschbergers were only allowed to become members of the city council again after the Prussian conquest of Silesia in 1741, which they then even dominated from 1742 by royal order of Frederick II .

Use of the Gnadenkirchhof

Crypt houses of the veil lords on the Gnadenkirchhof

By Pentecost on May 19, 1709, a provisional wooden church , then called the "Interim Church", was completed on the grounds of the Gnadenkirchhof . It was located "on the slope of the northwestern mountain" of today's churchyard, so probably in front of the crypt houses No. 7 and No. 8. On September 15, 1709, the first pastor of the Gnadenkirche, Johann Neunhertz (1652–1737) gave his inaugural sermon. Since 1650, for the first time ever, Protestant services, baptisms and funerals have been celebrated in an - albeit provisional - church in Hirschberg. The makeshift church was in use for nine years.

On January 16, 1710, the first corpse was buried on the "Evangelical God's Field". The deceased was Anna Maria Köhler, wife of the famous Hirschberg doctor, George Gottlieb Koehler von Mohrenfeld († 1748). The new Hirschberg Gnadenfriedhof was designed from the outset as a park-like frame towards the newly emerging, imposing Gnadenkirche in its center. It should not just be a burial place, but a peaceful place of mourning, rest, reflection and remembrance should be created in the sense of the 18th century. Here the transience of everything earthly and the promise of eternal life should be thought of. Those who had died in the city of Protestant faith were buried in the Hirschberg Gnadenfriedhof for 171 years.

For reasons of hygiene, the city of Hirschberg finally agreed with the Protestant parish that the Gnadenkirchhof would be closed on April 1, 1881. The physician Rimann justified this in his report of February 6, 1875. He considered it a "scientifically irrefutable proposition that the water and the air of a cemetery are contaminated by the rotting corpses." Burials were only allowed to take place in existing hereditary burials and crypt houses . After the end of the Second World War in 1945, when Silesia fell to Poland, the Gnadenkirchhof fell into disrepair. Most of the tombstones were removed, the tombs broken into and looted, and many sculptures and sculptural elements damaged or stolen. Despite some security measures after 1989, the structural preservation of the crypt houses remained threatened.

Description of the historical facility

Crypt house no.11 of the Mentzel family, completed in 1726

The Gnadenkirchhof is located around the Hirschberg Gnadenkirche, which was Protestant until 1945. The now Catholic church is now called "Kościół garnizonowy" ( Garrison Church ), "Kościół Świętego Krzyża" ( Holy Cross Church ) or "Kościół Łaski" ( Church of Grace ). The cemetery complex is surrounded by a high wall. A total of 18 magnificent baroque crypt houses as well as several grave monuments and epitaphs are lined up along the inside of the wall. From around 1715 to 1770, the magnificent crypt houses of the extremely rich so-called “veil lords”, members of the Hirschberg “Kauffmanns-Societät” established in 1658, were built along the cemetery wall. The richly decorated baroque crypt houses are extremely important monuments of the cultural and art history of Silesia. They testify to this day of the influence, self-image and wealth of the veil lords, who were able to export Silesian linen goods and linen veils via the European ports to America, Africa and Asia from 1648 to 1806 .

There used to be a large number of tombs on the large area between the Gnadenkirche and the crypt houses, but almost all of them were removed after 1945. Today a lawn extends here, which is divided into individual plots by paths flanked by large trees. The greenery gives the cemetery a park-like atmosphere, which was also intended when it was built in 1709. In 1916, the art historian Günther Grundmann described the horticultural layout of the churchyard as follows:

If you look at the division into grave fields achieved through the paths, you can easily see the thought of wanting to radiate out from the main exits of the church the view over the church. ... All these paths lead to the corridor where the burial chapels are located and at the same time convey to the exits ...

The uniform image of the Gnadenkirche, tombs and the tree-lined paths is picturesquely framed by the crypt houses along the enclosure wall.

Structural models of the Hirschberg Gnadenfriedhof

Campo Santo plant in Büttstedt (Thuringia)

When looking for historical models for the Hirschberg Gnadenkirchhof, Günther Grundmann assumes two lines of development. On the one hand from the Italian "Campo Santo complex", on the other hand from the well-known fenced medieval fortified church and fortified cemetery complexes . "Campo Santo" means "sacred field". In art history, this term is primarily used for those cemetery complexes that are decorated with an open arcade on the inside of their outer walls . The Campo Santo Monumentale in Pisa is the most famous architectural example of such a facility. Its construction began in the years 1278-1283 / 83. It resembles an oversized cloister with grave monuments. In the German-speaking cultural area, in the course of the construction of new municipal cemeteries outside the city walls, such Campo Santo facilities began again from the middle of the 16th century. Some art historians are of the opinion that the Campo Santo, which arose in Germany during the Reformation , developed on its own, independent of Italian models.

The best known of a Campo Santo in Germany is the city ​​church of God in Halle (Saale) , which was laid out in Renaissance style from 1557 , where a gallery with 94 arcades was laid out along the cemetery wall . There are tombs under the arcades, which were closed with bars. It is likely that several Hirschberg patricians saw the Halle town gods cack because they studied at the University of Halle . Another model for the Hirschberg Gnadenfriedhof was probably the Nikolaifriedhof in Görlitz .

The Zittau Kreuzfriedhof also houses numerous splendid baroque crypt houses, which, as in Hirschberg, were built by the wealthy linen merchants and city patricians. The most remarkable grave chapels of the Kreuzfriedhof were built between 1710 and 1730 almost at the same time as the Hirschberg grave chapels. The wealthy merchants also built burial chapels in the Silesian linen weaving towns of Landeshut and Schmiedeberg . The three baroque burial chapels in the churchyard of the Catholic Schmiedeberg parish church of St. Maria date from around 1728 to 1740.

Crypt houses

Sketch of the Gnadenfriedhof from 1916 by Günther Grundmann
Grufthaus No. 15 (Fam. Gottfried / Hess); completed around 1738

To this day, 18 magnificent crypt houses have been preserved in the Gnadenkirchhof, which were used as family burials for the rich veil lords of the Hirschberg “Kauffmanns-Societät”. The magnificent sculptures and relief and ornamental decorations of the crypt houses as well as the ornate inscriptions on their epitaphs are intended to symbolize the deep trust in God and the hope of the deceased for resurrection and eternal life. In stark contrast to the fullness of life and its transience, the death and vanitas motifs were combined with buxom, fun-loving putti . However, the earthly aspect also played a role, according to which the former greatness and power of the deceased should be represented.

List of crypt houses (clockwise to the left of the main entrance, starting at ul. 1ego Maja):

  • Number 1; Glogner family; completed in 1725
  • No. 2; Glafey family (Schäffer); completed in 1716
  • No. 3; Schneider family; Completed after August 27, 1763
  • No. 4; Winckler family (Frantz); completed around 1740–1745
  • No. 5; Martens family; completed around 1758
  • No. 6; The Tietze family; completed in 1756
  • No. 7; Baumgart family; completed in 1727
  • No. 8; Koehler von Mohrenfeld family (Thomann); completed around 1725–1728
  • No. 9; Baumgart [hen] family (von Schweinichen); completed 1712–1719
  • No. 10; Kätzler family (left); completed around 1720
  • No. 11; Mentzel family; completed in 1726
  • No. 12; Sparr family (Kühn); completed around 1765
  • No. 13; Tralles family; completed in 1724
  • No. 14; Ihle family (Lampert); completed around 1770
  • No. 15; Gottfried family (Hess); completed around 1738
  • No. 16; Family Streit (Thielsch); completed around 1770
  • No. 17; Ullmann family (Kuntze); Completed around 1760
  • No. 18; Family Adolph (von Uechtritz); completed in 1719

restoration

Crypt houses No. 1 (Glogner) and No. 2 (Glafey)

The city of Jelenia Góra is leading a restoration project together with the German-Polish Association for the Care of Silesian Art and Culture (VSK) as part of the “Operational Program for Cross-Border Cooperation Saxony-Poland 2007-2013”, which is partially financed by the European Community the crypt houses and the renovation of the Gnadenkirchhof. From 2010 to 2012 the Gnadenkirchhof with the crypt houses will be fundamentally repaired. In addition to the professional restoration of the crypt houses, the Gnadenkirchof is to be transformed back into a space of prayer, peace and reflection.

Famous pepole

Adam Christian Thebesius , Hirschberg doctor

At the Gnadenfriedhof u. a. to bury:

  • Balthasar Adolph (* probably in Hirschberg, February 1, 1651; † February 8, 1696); Merchant and patron; Father of Christian Michael Adolphi; Doctor, medical scientist as well as Sachsen-Naumburg personal physician
  • Gottlob Adolph (1685-1745); Pastor at the Hirschberger Gnadenkirche; he was struck by lightning while preaching in the pulpit
  • Daniel von Buchs (* December 10, 1676; † Hirschberg, July 14, 1735); ennobled landowner; Merchant and patron of Hirschberg and the Protestant Gnadenkirche
  • Johann Gottfried Glafey ( Glaffein ), (* in Breslau, October 16, 1656; † Hirschberg, November 24, 1720); Landowners; Merchant and patron of Hirschberg and the Protestant Gnadenkirche
  • Johann Martin Gottfried (* Großenhain / Saxony, February 13, 1685; † Hirschberg, July 26, 1737); Merchant; Patron of Hirschberg and the Protestant Church of Grace
  • George Gottlieb Koehler von Mohrenfeld († 1748); Hirschberger doctor and nobleman
  • Christian Mentzel (* Hirschberg, September 9, 1667; † there, February 23, 1748); the richest and most famous of the Hirschberg merchants; Landowners; Patron of his hometown Hirschberg and the Protestant Gnadenkirche
  • Adam Christian Thebesius (1686-1732); Doctor, medical scientist and Hirschberger Stadtphysicus
  • Johannes Ehrenfried Thebesius (1717–1758); Doctor, medical scientist and author
  • Friedrich Wilhelm Winckler (* Leipzig, August 4, 1693; † Hirschberg, February 27, 1742); came from the Leipzig patrician family of the Wincklers ; Landowners; Merchant and patron of Hirschberg and the Protestant Gnadenkirche
  • Conrad Streit (* probably around 1700; † 1772); Merchant and patron of Hirschberg; Grandfather of Karl Konrad Streit
  • Melchior Süßenbach, (* Lissa, 1648; † Hirschberg; July 7, 1721); Doctor and city physician from Hirschberg

literature

  • Günther Grundmann : Crypt chapels of the eighteenth century in Lower Silesia and Upper Lusatia . In: Studies on German Art History . Strasbourg 1916.
  • Günther Grundmann : Cultural-historical traditions about the Gnadenkirchhof in Hirschberg . In: ders. (Ed.): Art walks in the Giant Mountains . Studies from 50 years, 1917–1967. Munich 1969, pp. 49-58.
  • Siegfried Kühn: The Hirschberg linen and veil trade from 1648–1806 . In: Breslauer historical research H. 7, 1938, p. 158
  • Hans Lutsch: The art monuments of the government district of Liegnitz . In: Directory of the Art Monuments of the Province of Silesia , Vol. 3, The Government District Liegnitz Breslau 1891, 791 pp.
  • Hans Lutsch: Silesia's art monuments . Text and picture book, Gütersloh 1985². [Repr. d. Ed. Breslau, 1903], illustrated volume: 456, p., Text volume: 510 p.
  • Mika Matthies: Sculptures of the burial chapels around the Hirschberger Gnadenkirche . In: Greetings from Lomnitz No. 45 (2010), pp. 26–30. vskschlesien.de
  • Gerhard Schiller: Hirschberger veil. From custom-made products to export hits. The Lords of the Veil and their Tombs . Part II. In: Schlesien heute No. 3 (2011), pp. 39–41. vskschlesien.de
  • Gerhard Schiller: From the Campo Santo Monumentale in Pisa and medieval fortified cemeteries to the baroque burial chapels of Görlitz, Zittau and Hirschberg. The Lords of the Veil and their Tombs . Part IV. In: Schlesien heute No. 9 (2011), pp. 50–52. vskschlesien.de
  • Gerhard Schiller: World trade “made in Silesia”. The merchant's association of the Hirschberger Schleierherren. The Lords of the Veil and their Tombs . Part I. In: Schlesien heute No. 9 (2010), pp. 37–39. vskschlesien.de
  • Gerhard Schiller: Evidence of former glory. The burial chapels of the veil lords around the Hirschberger Gnadenkirche are being renovated . In: Schlesien heute No. 6 (2010), pp. 36–38. vskschlesien.de
  • David Zeller: Increased Hirschberg's Curiosities ... Twelfth Part. Hirschberg [around 1738]; Archiwum Państwowe w Wrocławiu. Oddział w Jeleniej Górze, sign. 83/3/2897. microsofttranslator.com

Web links

Commons : Sanctuary in Jelenia Góra  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Crypt houses in Jelenia Góra  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Norbert Fischer: From Gottesacker to the crematorium - A social history of the cemeteries in Germany since the 18th century . Hamburg 1996, pp. 23-28. ediss.sub.uni-hamburg.de ( Memento of the original from September 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 351 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ediss.sub.uni-hamburg.de
  2. ^ Siegismund Justus Ehrhardt : Presbyterology of Evangelical Silesia . Vol. 3, 2nd main part, Liegnitz 1784, pp. 175ff.
  3. ↑ David Zeller: Increased Hirschbergische oddities… Parts 1–12. Hirschberg [around 1720-1738]; Archiwum Państwowe w Wrocławiu . Oddział w Jeleniej Górze, sign. 83/3 / 2886-2897. microsofttranslator.com
  4. ↑ Increased Hirschbergic Curiosities ... Eleventh Part. Hirschberg [around 1738]; Archiwum Państwowe w Wrocławiu , sign. 83/3/2896, p. 30f. microsofttranslator.com
  5. ^ Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu . Oddział w Jeleniej Górze, sign. 83/3/7751.
  6. ^ Gerhard Schiller: World trade “made in Silesia”. The merchant's association of the Hirschberger Schleierherren. The Lords of the Veil and their Tombs . Part I. In: Schlesien heute No. 9 (2010), pp. 37–39. vskschlesien.de
  7. ↑ Gerhard Schiller: Map of the baroque burial chapels of the veil lords on the Gnadenkirchhof in Jelenia Góra / Hirschberg . vskschlesien.de
  8. ^ Günther Grundmann: Crypt chapels of the eighteenth century in Lower Silesia and Upper Lusatia . In: Studies on German Art History , Strasbourg 1916, p. 5.
  9. ↑ zittau.eu ( Memento of the original from May 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.zittau.eu
  10. ↑ Gerhard Schiller: From the Campo Santo Monumentale in Pisa and medieval fortified cemeteries to the baroque grave chapels of Görlitz, Zittau and Hirschberg. The Lords of the Veil and their Tombs . Part IV. In: Silesia today No. 9 (2011). vskschlesien.de ; see. also Günther Grundmann : Crypt chapels of the eighteenth century in Lower Silesia and Upper Lusatia . In: Studies on German Art History . Strasbourg 1916, pp. 59-65.
  11. ↑ dt.-pl. Association for the care of Silesian art and culture V. (VSK)
  12. ↑ Gerhard Schiller: The burial chapels of the veil lords around the Hirschberger Gnadenkirche are being renovated . In: Schlesien heute No. 6 (2010). vskschlesien.de
  13. ↑ August Hirsch:  Adolphi, Christian Michael . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, p. 121.
  14. ↑ Article on the websites of dt-.pl. Association for the Care of Silesian Art and Culture V. (VSK)
  15. ^ Article on the websites of the Research Center for Personal Papers at the University of Marburg
  16. ^ Winckler, (Friedrich Wilhelm). In: Johann Heinrich Zedler : Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts . Volume 57, Leipzig 1748, column 502.
  17. ^ Colmar Grünhagen:  Dispute, Karl Konrad . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 36, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1893, p. 564 f.
  18. Jump up ↑ David Zeller: Vermehrungen Hirschbergic oddities… Part 5. Hirschberg (around 1720–1738), p. 20ff. (PDF; 568 kB) In: Archiwum Państwowe w Wrocławiu . Oddział w Jeleniej Górze, sign. 83/3/2891.

Coordinates: 50 ° 54 ′ 13.4 "  N , 15 ° 44 ′ 39.1"  E