High Mark (Taunus)
The Hohe Mark was a medieval market cooperative for forest use in the Taunus , which existed until the beginning of the 19th century. The Hohe Mark stretched from the Taunus ridge to the Saalburg and into the Niddaau plain , the market towns were all north of the Nidda.
history
The first documentary mention comes from a deed of donation from 1334. Weistümer , i.e. records of judgments of the High Mark, have been handed down from 1401 onwards. Territorially, the Hohe Mark belonged to the Office of Homburg .
Affiliation
The Hohe Mark was an association of households that were authorized to jointly use the forest and to legally regulate this use. The households were the holders of these rights, not the settlements in which they were located. Every person who had a house in the area of the Mark was entitled to the mark. This included nobles, priests, townspeople, free and serf peasants, foreign landowners with their country settlements , who appeared de jure in the march with equal rights regardless of their class.
The criteria for market authorization were community membership and independent household. The individual communities were autonomous when they took in citizens. New citizens did not have to be accepted by the market meeting, but became members of the market through the community acceptance. An admission by the congregation was only necessary when the outcasts were readmitted. In the 16th century, the affiliation to the Mark began to close, so that new Mark members also had to be accepted by the Märkerding. Marginalized groups like the Jews did not belong to the market community. Market members had to have their "own smoke". This also included rented houses or several households under one roof. Widows of members were also full members. The “own smoke” went out when the building was abandoned or demolished.
Demarcation
The boundaries of the Mark were confirmed every 15 to 30 years by a group of Märkers through border crossings. It was a ritualized act with legal validity. For example, in 1565 a group of Märkers changed the border of the Mark by deviating from the path of the Grenzgang. Whole municipalities or individual marketers tried again and again to outsource areas from the market association and to usurp them. So-called "hole trees", trees with notches at knee height, were initially used as boundary signs. Landmarks were set in the 16th century.
The most important of these boundary stones is the Viermärker built in 1829 around 1.5 kilometers below the Sandplackens . According to the initials, the following boundaries coincided there: LH = Landgraviate Hessen-Homburg , GH = Grand Duchy of Hessen-Darmstadt , KH = Electorate of Hesse , F = Free City of Frankfurt (Hohemarkverband). The additional designation DW stands for domain forest .
The areas within the borders were not entirely Mark areas. Some areas that belonged to the field demarcation of the individual member communities were excluded from administration by the community and were under the sole control of the respective community. In addition, there were smaller areas that were only used by some of the market members on a cooperative basis. These properties, which were mainly meadows, had their own usage regulations and special meetings of the comrades involved in them. Examples are common paddock pasture of the marrow villages Vilbel, Massenheim and Harheim as well as a pasture on the Schindberg, which Oberursel and Oberstedten shared. The "Aue", the place of the Märkerding, also belonged to Oberursel and Bommersheim together.
For most of the existence of the Hohen Mark, the towns of Homburg , Oberstedten , Niederstedten , Oberursel , Stierstadt , Bommersheim , Niederbommersheim, Weißkirchen , Kalbach , Gattenhofen, Hausen , Mittelstedten , Harheim , Kirdorf , Vilbel , Dornholzhausen , Gonzenheim , Ober were due to residents with trademark rights -Eschbach , Nieder-Eschbach , Massenheim , Steinbach , Praunheim , Bonames , Niedererlenbach , Dortelweil , Niederursel , Weil , Brombach , Reifenberg , Hattstein , Arnoldshain , Schmitten and Heddernheim are their members.
Marrow assemblies
Märkerding
The most important organ of the mark was the Märker thing. It was at the same time a court that negotiated legal issues in the area of jurisdiction of the mark, and a full assembly of all members of the mark. The Märkerding came together east of Oberursel on the "Aue" (today Adenauerallee ). The meeting was initially held on November 25th, and from 1484 on the Wednesday after Pentecost . In addition, there were extraordinary Märker things on various occasions. Most common things were on Matthäitag (September 21) that the forester in years with many acorns or beechnuts , convened by the input drive of pigs to the acorns to regulate.
The ordinary Märker things were called up by the forest messenger. Up until the 15th century, Märker was required to be present, after that only for extraordinary Märker things. Absence was punished with fines. Landowners who had assigned lands in the Mark under the land settlement law were also allowed to appear with their land settlements. The sovereigns, whose subjects were march comrades, also sent envoys to the floodplain, even if they were not march members themselves. The meeting opened early in the morning and later at noon. The marketers lined up in a circle according to the villages and the marchers noted that they were all there. In the subsequent elections, the two reigning Märkermeister first gave their office back to the forest messenger, who was, however, usually represented by an authorized bailiff. Then the two new Märkermeisters were elected. The exact electoral process is unclear, especially whether the Märkers voted individually or together by village. In the 16th century the mayors received the right to vote for their respective villages. After the election, the forest messenger confirmed the Märkermeister and took their oath of office. Until the end of the 16th century, the forest messenger was not authorized to refuse confirmation. First of all, local knights were chosen to be Märkermeisters. Only if these were not available or ready, priests or country people should take over the office. It was not until the middle of the 16th century that bourgeois master craftsmen appeared more frequently, as the nobles neglected their office. In the final phase of the Hohen Mark from the 18th century, the representatives of the "main towns" Oberursel , Homburg , Praunheim , Bonames and Reifenberg dominated the meeting and usually made the decisions in previous discussions. The foresters were elected after the Märkermeister masters. The Märkermeister suggested new foresters or the extension of the term of office of the previous one. After the election, the Märkermeister sworn in the foresters.
In addition to the election, the Märkerding also passed resolutions on the use of the forest and the amount of fines for violating the market regulations. The assembly determined these sovereignly; confirmation by the forest messenger was not necessary. In the 17th century these decisions were passed on to the authorized representatives and mayors of the main towns in the market.
The instructions were confirmation rituals for orally handed down legal traditions. The free and unfree peasants together with two representatives of the other Märker advised on the traditional legal system of the Mark. However, not all rights were always stated. With special questions there could be difficulties because not many people in the know lived for the respective special regulation. In the 16th century the wisdoms were replaced by sovereign wood, forest, marrow and forest regulations.
At Märkerdingen, accusations of outrage in the use of the forest or against building regulations were read out. If there was enough time, there were negotiations, otherwise these took place two weeks later on the day of the decree and penance.
The Märker thing ended with a feast .
The ordination and penance day
Märkermeister, Markschreier and mayor of the five main stains met two weeks after the Märkerding in the Homburg town hall, negotiated over allegations and objections of the accused and determined penalties. This meeting usually lasted four to five days. The attending day may not originally have belonged to the structure of the Hohe Mark, but was only introduced with increasing population density. It is proven from the middle of the 15th century. In the following centuries its importance grew compared to Märkerding.
March officials
Märkermeister
There were two Märkermeister masters each. Her tasks included the preparation of the Märkerding (forest ranger proposal, draft resolutions), the management of border inspections, forest protection (against forest fires, setting of closed times and areas), construction police tasks (instructions for repairs, allocation of timber), reprimanding iniquities at Märkerding, participation on the attending day, collection of fines and seizure as well as accounting (fines, fees, wood sales). They were paid by the fact that they withheld certain fees and were allowed to fatten a larger number of pigs than others.
ranger
The exact number of foresters is unknown. In the 18th century there were four main and several secondary foresters. They supported the Märkermeister. As a reward, they received two loaves of bread and a Meste of grain from each Märker and were allowed to use the "Försterwiese" on the Feldberg .
Marrowers
The marrow crier was appointed by forest messengers. Originally he was only required to declare himself on the Märkerding. In the 16th century he got the supervision of the foresters. He received a loaf of bread from every Märker.
Mark pen
Mostly the Homburg town clerk received the office of mark clerk, later often the clerk from Oberursel as well. The mark writer took notes at the mäkerding and committee days.
Forest messenger
The forest messenger represented the sovereigns who belonged to the march. The office was always given to the landlord who owned Homburg Castle. The office was first mentioned in 1192. It was hereditary and tightly tied to the lock. As a result, it was mostly in the hands of the Lords of Eppstein until the end of the 15th century . In the 16th century it changed hands frequently. In 1622 it came to Hessen-Homburg . In 1806 the office expired with the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss . The "Jagdhaus des Waltboten der Hohe Mark" was built in the 16th century in a former Roman fort . The Waldbote chaired the Märkerding, which since the 15th century has mostly been carried out by a representative. He had the authority to convene extraordinary market things and appointed the barker. He was allowed to arbitrarily punish forest crimes committed by non-members of the Mark and withhold half of the fine. Since the 15th century, he was allowed to start hunting three days earlier than other Märker and was given jurisdiction over criminals arrested in the Markwald, over whom he was allowed to sit in court in Homburg. In addition, he had no authority in Märker matters and had to accept the elections in Märkerding. From the 16th century the forest messengers tried to expand their sovereignty in the Mark, but encountered resistance from the Märker.
Forest use
The right of use was the same for all members of the market, regardless of their status or ownership. This also applied to taxes such as forester's and screecher's wages or extraordinary expenses. The mark was considered the commons of all those entitled to the mark. Originally, every Märker was allowed to get as much timber for repairs and new construction from the forest as he needed for his own building. From the 16th century there were restrictions due to insufficient stocks that could be used for building. From this point onwards, timber was not felled or only used for repairs during certain blocking times. In this regulation the responsibility of the Märkermeister for the construction industry in the municipalities lay. Construction timber for public buildings was generally made available from the Markwald.
Firewood could be cut two days a week. Each Märker was only allowed to drive into the forest with one wagon, Märkers without a team were allowed to use the wagons of the carters from the area of the Mark. The sale of firewood or export from Mark was prohibited.
To regulate the acorn mast, a special Märker thing was convened as soon as the trees bore enough. It decided how many pigs each could collect. The drive-in right could also be sold to other marketers. The pigs were guarded by shepherds in flocks.
The pastures in the Markwald were allowed to be used by cattle and horses from all marketers. The right to graze was only exercised by the villages near the forest.
The forest messenger announces the end of the closed season for the hunt. From this point on, all Märker were allowed to hunt without restriction. The forest messenger received additional powers (hunting game, earlier start of the hunt) and at the end of the 16th century, after disputes, especially with the noble Märkians, completely seized the hunting rights.
Originally, all Märker were allowed to fish in the forest streams. The forest messenger also prevailed here until the 18th century. There were different regulations on the Nidda , since the river also belonged to other manors.
Wood for tools and for charcoal and forge fires could be fetched from the forest free of charge. However, there were quantity restrictions and the obligation to obtain permission from the Märkermeister. In the 16th century, with the expansion of smithies, increasing damage to the forest caused by this right.
Marrow crime and penance
In the case of offenses against the mark, a distinction was made between members of the community, the so-called "Innmarkers", and outsiders, the "Ausmärkern". Inmarkers were used for logging in conservation forests (should only be used for fattening and building timber to protect growth), felling oaks for stakes, felling trees for charcoal, exceeding fattening rights and bringing wood out of the market area fined out. Refusing to help extinguish forest fires led to dismissal from Mark, and arson in the forest led to thrown into the fire three times. Peeling a tree was punished by pulling the intestines out of the body and wrapping it around the tree. However, there is no evidence that this sentence was ever carried out. Markers who were caught exporting wood, the wagon was removed and they were delivered to the forest messenger. The latter stipulated further punishments, but was not allowed to paralyze or kill the prisoner. In the 16th century, it was converted into a pure fine. Foreign cattle on marrow pastures were partially withheld and driven to Homburg.
Fines were paid on the day of the last. In the event of insolvency, the Märkermeister seized the property. If the pledge was refused, the respective municipality had to provide it or was excluded from the mark. Penalties were shared between march officials, forest messengers and all of the marchers.
Dissolution of the High Mark
In the 16th century, the forest messengers took more and more rights and violated the order, especially with hunting and logging. They denied other marketers their rights of use and pushed back the powers of the Märker Thing. The forest was increasingly being cut down. First division negotiations there were in 1777. On September 23, 1813 then the Hohemark between the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt , the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Duchy of Nassau divided . The last Märker thing met in 1809.
Overall, the development of the mark shows the increasing dominance of the nobility over the rural population as well as the increase in power of the sovereigns over all other members of the market.
today
The name has been retained for the region around the U3 terminus in Oberursel ; mostly in the form of Hohemark. In addition to the Oberursel-Hohemark subway terminus , there is also Hohemarkstrasse (L3004), which runs parallel to the subway.
The name has also been retained in other local facilities such as the Hohe Mark Clinic .
See also
- Seulberger Mark , neighboring mark of the Hohen Mark
literature
- Hermin Herr: Lexicon from the High Taunus. Waldemar Kramer, Frankfurt am Main 1993, ISBN 3-7829-0437-0 .
- Reinhard Michel: From the Hohe Mark forest cooperative and the Märkergedingen in Oberursel. In: Ingrid Berg (Ed.): Heimat Hochtaunus. Frankfurt 1988, ISBN 3-7829-0375-7 , pp. 227-231.
- Siegfried Rumbler: Grenzstein-Rundwanderweg im Hohen Taunus - Hohemark area / Sandplacken, a hike through history. Verlag Waldemar Kramer, Frankfurt 1979, ISBN 3-7829-1073-7 .
