Hanns von Hackelberg
Hanns von Hackelberg (also Hackelnberg; * allegedly 1521 in Wolfenbüttel ; † allegedly 1581 in Wülperode near Vienenburg ) was the wild hunter according to northern German events . His name is derived from the place of origin of his parents, the Hakel . Hackelberg was in the service of Duke Julius of Braunschweig and was Braunschweig's chief hunter. He enjoyed a great reputation among his superiors and hunters. He prepared and directed court and company hunts.
In the Wülperoder area, not far from the Oker, in the so-called Steinfeld, was the "Klöpperkrug", rebuilt in 1672. A cemetery is said to have been in the garden. A portrait of Hackelberg is shown on his tombstone: a man riding a horse with a “high hat” and a waving coat, holding a crossbow in his right hand and the reins in his left. Two dogs run freely alongside.
Legend
According to legend, the night before the hunt, Hackelberg dreamed that he would be attacked by a strong boar and seriously injured. The other hunters therefore advised him not to take part in the hunt. He ignored the warning and took part in the hunt. The dream came true: a bleeding boar attacked him, a hit from the crossbow did not seem to harm the animal. Hackelberg managed to kill the animal with the help of a boar pen and a deer catcher . Recovered, you went to the Harzburg in the evening for the cozy part. At this festival, the boar was of course the focus and the head of the strong boar was laid out separately by oak leaves and candlelight. Hackelberg mocked the hunted animal and lifted the head from the table with one hand, held the head by the outstretched arm to the party and spoke the traditional words: "Now you couldn't touch me." Then the head slipped out of his hand and fell tusk first on his foot. The razor-sharp and pointed tusk immediately pierced the boot and pierced his right foot to the sole. He paid hardly any attention to the initially minor wound for his circumstances. But the very next day the wound was infected. On the return journey to Wolfenbüttel along the Oker , a rest had to be taken. Here the Klepperkrug (Klöpperkrug) offered itself in front of Wülperode on the country road from Vienenburg to Schladen . Hackelberg died of his wound that same evening. But he could not find peace, he cursed himself before his death and hunted "okerauf and okerab" with his horse and his dogs in a storm. The body was buried in the garden of the inn and later covered with a grave slab made of sandstone.
The legend is known in many different forms in the Harz region , on Solling and in other places in northern Germany. Their physical origin may be in the thunderous storm wind. The person of the wild hunter bears a resemblance to the wind god Wodan .
Grave slab
The grave slab shows a rider with a "high hat" and a waving cape. He holds his crossbow in his right hand, and holds the reins of his horse in his left hand. Two dogs run free under the horse. After the Klepperkrug was torn down, the tombstone was moved to the Wülperoder border barracks in accordance with GDR regulations. After their departure, children threw stones at the stone out of ignorance in the early 1990s, so that the sculpture was badly damaged. The plate also had an inscription: Anno Domini 1581, the 3rd Maarci. Today the grave slab is safely in the Wülperode village community center.
The Klepperkrug did not survive the Thirty Years War , but was rebuilt in 1672. It was demolished again when the German-German border was being built.
literature
- Dieter Lent: Hackelberg, Hans von . In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck, Dieter Lent u. a. (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon: 8th to 18th century . Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2006, pp. 284f. ISBN 978-3937664460
