Harderwykenburg
| Harderwykenburg | ||
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 The Harderwykenburg in Leer, East Frisia |
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| Creation time : | circa 1470 | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg | |
| Conservation status: | Receive | |
| Place: | Empty | |
| Geographical location | 53 ° 13 '46.1 " N , 7 ° 26' 54.1" E | |
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The Harderwykenburg on Harderwykensteg in Leer is over 500 years old and is one of the oldest surviving castles in East Friesland and the oldest house in the city of Leer. The Harderwykenburg is traditionally also referred to as "First House Empty". The Harderwykenburg, built around 1470, has been privately owned by the Count's House of Innhausen and Knyphausen ( Bodelschwingh-Plettenberg ) for over 220 years .
history
In the 14th and 15th centuries, the local " chiefs " gained power and importance in relation to the sovereigns. As a rule, they emerged from the large peasantry. In the late 15th century, individual leading chiefs, such as Enno Cirksena in 1454, were raised to the rank of count. This marked the transition from the chief to the count's time. In order to underpin this new claim to power, the chiefs had “ stone houses ” built. These were often the economic and administrative center of the respective sphere of influence.
The architectural phase of the stone houses of the East Frisian chiefs can be divided into two parts: In the 14th and early 15th centuries, so-called "high houses" ("tower buildings") were built, in the late 15th century so-called "long houses" ("hall buildings") ), which already had a recognizable representative character, preferred.
The Fockenburg as a forerunner
In 1421 Focko Ukena , at that time the aspiring chief of Leer, had the Fockenburg built in the style of a "high house". In 1431 Focko Ukena was driven out by his opponents organized in the "Frisian Freedom League" under the leadership of Chief Enno Cirksena and the Fockenburg was completely destroyed. Other East Frisian chiefs and farmers felt their personal responsibility was threatened, as Ukena, as a large landowner, was said to be in league with pirates and he had defeated his Frisian opponents under Ocko II. Tom Brok as well as the Archbishop of Bremen and the Count of Oldenburg .
In 2017, archaeologists found remains during excavations that prove the location of the Fockenburg in Leer, which only existed for 10 years. In addition to chunky bricks, this includes utensils from the late Middle Ages , such as vessel handles, leather shoe soles and pipes. The finds were made on the grounds of the Borromeo Hospital, where archaeological investigations were carried out before a parking garage was built.
The beginnings of Harderwykenburg (Unkenburg)
Around 1470 the Leeraner chief Hajo toads, grandson and son Focko Ukena Bolo was Ripperdas , on a few hundred meters from the ruined castle Focke remote Geest hills the Unkenburg in the style of "the House" building. The Unkenburg is special in that it is one of the most recent examples of a “high house”.
The centerpiece of the Unkenburg was the characteristic three-storey tower: With its gable , it reaches a height of around 16.20 m on an area of 11.17 mx 8.15 m. The up to 3 m thick masonry consists of an inner cast wall core made of mortar and bricks and an outer, irregular two- to four-layer shell masonry (1.10 m - 1.20 m thick) made of brick . These stones, which are classified as typical "monastery stones" due to their dimensions (28.5 cm × 14.5 cm), are connected to one another using shell limestone mortar.
The basement has a flat cap vault . Originally there was also a well here. The 1st floor served as a storage room, the administration was located on the habitable 2nd floor. The Unkenburg primarily had a storage function and was only used as living space in the event of a defense. The chiefs who emerged from the upper peasantry usually continued to live in their farmhouses.
In the event of a defense, the building had some defensive elements: the tower itself with three-meter-thick outer walls and the moat dug in 1573. The basement and first floor were not connected to each other and had separate entrances, with the first floor being accessible via a retractable wooden structure. This should u. a. the danger of "fumigating" be countered.
The Harderwykenburg in modern times
The husband of Armgard Unken, the daughter of Hajo IV. Unken and heiress of the Unkenburg, was Dietrich Harderwyk. In the 17th century he converted the Unkenburg from a warehouse castle to a residential castle. For example, he added a single-storey U-shaped extension to the tower, divided up the rooms in the tower and redesigned the straight gable into a simple Renaissance gable. The Unkenburg, which has now clearly changed in its appearance, has since been called Harderwykenburg .
The year 1788 marks a turning point in the history of Harderwykenburg. Carl-Gustav Freiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen, Prussian chamberlain in Berlin and younger brother of Count Edzard Moritz from Lütetsburg , bought the castle from the von Schilling family for membership in the "Knighthood -Kollegium ”in East Frisia. The stone coat of arms on the north side of the Harderwykenburg is the family coat of arms of the von Schilling family. The stone house, which is not a real castle, is now privately owned .
Owners since 1788 were:
- 1788–1823: Carl-Gustav Freiherr zu Innhausen and Knyphausen
- 1823–1854: Moritz Freiherr zu Innhausen and Knyphausen
- 1854–1911: Dodo-Alexander Freiherr zu Innhausen and Knyphausen, Count von Bodelschwingh-Plettenberg
- 1911–1967: Edzard Freiherr zu Innhausen and Knyphausen
- 1967–1981: Dorothea Freifrau zu Innhausen and Knyphausen
- 1981–1995: Dodo Freiherr zu Innhausen and Knyphausen
- 1995–2011: Edzard Freiherr zu Innhausen and Knyphausen
- since 2012: Carl-Anton Freiherr zu Innhausen and Knyphausen
Between 1860 and 1890, the elongated single-storey extension was replaced by today's two-storey extension. In addition, the Harderwykenburg received the characteristic gray plaster. The moat was filled in. During the Second World War the Harderwykenburg served as a day care center; two smaller shelters were created on the site for this purpose. In years of work, Dodo Freiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen converted the former kitchen garden into a park with varied flora . Some of the trees are under nature protection.
The castle is part of the German fen route .
literature
- Günther Robra: The Harderwykenburg. Oldest secular building in Leer . In: De Utmiener. Yearbook of the Heimatverein Leer , Volume 2, 2017, Schlösser und Burgen in and around Leer , pp. 131–140.
- De Utrooper's book about the East Frisian and Frisian castles and palaces. Leer 2005. ISBN 3938020105 .
Web links
- Entry by Frank Both zu Harderwykenburg in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute
- Picture gallery
Individual evidence
- ↑ History From »Hleri« to Leer. City of Leer in Ostfriesland, accessed on August 5, 2011 .
- ↑ The trace of the bricks at ndr.de from March 10, 2017
- ^ History of Harderwykenburg Castle. Castles and palaces, accessed on August 5, 2011 .
- ^ Harderwykenburg (Hayo-Unken Castle). (No longer available online.) Fehnroute.de, formerly in the original ; Retrieved August 5, 2011 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
