Hans von Bartensleben
Hans von Bartensleben (* 1512 ; † February 14, 1583 ), known as Hans the Rich , is the only significant personality of the von Bartensleben family . He resided at Wolfsburg and was known for his piety and tolerance of faith. With no male successor, he bequeathed his great fortune to the poor and established a foundation for charitable purposes.
Life
Hans von Bartensleben had become prosperous in a long period of peace in the 16th century. His manor and the grain trade from his possessions on good black earth soils near Hötensleben were good sources of money. Wood from their own forests, mills and fish farming brought additional income.
He was married to Agnes von Rutenberg from the noble Bleckmar family, but had no male successor. Their only son Busso died at the age of 20. The daughter Bertha Sophie married through Werner von der Schulenburg-Beetzendorf into the noble family of von der Schulenburg , which inherited the entire estate of von Bartensleben in 1742. Hans lived alternately at Wolfsburg Castle and Hötensleben Castle, which he had in pledge possession from the Archdiocese of Magdeburg . The rich man in the nave was Buried Hans Vorsfelder St. Peter's Church .
Faith mediator
In the year of the peace and religious peace in Augsburg in 1555, Hans (himself a Catholic until three years before his death) was distinguished by his tolerance of faith. Within his noble (extended) family, he initiated a tolerance treaty for the amicable coexistence of the two denominations . The contract guaranteed the family members, including the servants and all subjects, the unhindered practice of religion. Church use and property of the old, Catholic and the new, Protestant faith were divided. The strong piety of Hans the Rich was also shown by the fact that he had frequent church services. As patron saint , he paid special funds for this.
Castle builder
At Wolfsburg, he was the builder who began to transform the well-fortified, medieval fortress into a renaissance castle . In 1575 he had the dilapidated north wing rebuilt as a gatehouse. After his death in 1583, his cousins continued the work.
Poor donor
In 1581, two years before his death, Hans the Rich set up a foundation for the benefit of the poor through his will . At that time these were lame, blind, mute, lepers, widows and orphans. The foundation served the pious nobleman in favor of the needy for his salvation. He wanted all to be done in “honor, praise and praise of the Almighty”. The foundation's administrators were pastors, mayors and judges from Wolfsburg , Vorsfelde and Hehlingen . The facility existed for almost 350 years and did not go out until 1919.
The foundation's assets included high monetary values from mortgage notes from the cities of Halberstadt , Stendal , Salzwedel , Seehausen , Osterburg , Helmstedt , Schöningen and Schöppenstedt . These congregations were given the money with the obligation to give the interest to the poor “as long as the world stands”. The poor in the cities of Braunschweig, Lüneburg and Magdeburg as well as in the (Bartenslebischen feudal) villages of the Vorsfelder Werder , in the Bromer and Salzwedeler Land received the interest of the foundation capital with the then enormous sum of around 35,000 thalers (about 175 annual salaries of the highest civil servant ). However, payments were only made in kind, such as fabric, shoes or grain. The foundation maintained a hospital in Hötensleben (now the town hall) and poor houses in Schöppenstedt, Oebisfelde , Königslutter and Wolfsburg (today's Schlossstrasse, poor house demolished around 1960).
literature
- Ingrid Eichstädt: The history of the Gifhorn - Wolfsburg area , Gifhorn 1996
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bartensleben, Hans von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hans the Rich (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Personality of the noble family von Bartensleben |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1512 |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 14, 1583 |