High Hospital (Soest)

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The Ottonian core of the old town (outlined in green): 1) Nikolaikapelle , 2) St. Patrokli Cathedral, 3) Morgner House, 4) Location of the High Hospital / the Old Palatinate , 5) St. Petri Church, 6) Town hall with four parts of buildings from different centuries; lower left a corner of the great pond
Rest of the high hospital

Hohes Hospital , locally also known as Wittekindsmauer or old Palatinate , was for centuries the name derived from the later use of a massive residential tower / donjon in the city center of Soest , which most likely played the role of an archbishop's palace - and indeed the first or older in Soest - fulfilled.

In other regions of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation there were also institutions that were named Hohes Hospital .

history

Essential information about the history of the building was brought to light in several excavations between the years 1884 and 1993/94.

Before the development

The centrally located area immediately west of the Petrikirche was a cemetery of this first parish church in Franconian times (9th – 10th centuries).

Palatinate

Around the year 1000, the cemetery, which had been in use shortly before, was built: a mighty, well-fortified building in cubic form with a floor area of ​​25 × 25 meters and a height between 25 and 30 meters was created. The resulting complex, later referred to as “palatium sive turris” ( Latin : Palatinate or tower), is most certainly designated as the first archbishop's palatinate due to its combined residential, defense and representative function and its location in the center next to the main city church. The mightiness of the building highlights Soest as a main residence of the Archbishops of Cologne, as the original capital in the later consolidation of the Duchy of Westphalia . The obligation of the bishops to offer accommodation to rulers who were passing through ( guest obligation ) meant that numerous emperors of the Middle Ages who traveled the Hellweg stopped in Soest. The foundations of a throne seat can still be seen in the neighboring Petrikirche, which refer to the numerous and frequent presence of high-ranking guests in Soest.

High hospital

Under Archbishop Philipp von Heinsberg , who gave Soest special support, the palace residence was moved to the edge of the old town. The new Palatinate was in the neighborhood of Alt-St. Thomä , the church in Soest known as the "Leaning Tower". This reallocation was in connection with the newly built city wall, to what extent the lord's security concerns played a role in getting the Palatinate out of the center of the city remains unclear. It is possible that the area reserves were simply larger on the edge of the newly defined urban area. According to a document from the 14th century, a hospital was founded on the old Palatinate site in 1178 , including the existing buildings. This is one of the first documented cases in Germany where a hospital is set up independently of a monastery. As a hospital, the building was home to 42 poor and sick people. The name “High Hospital” for the facility, which has existed here for around 150 years, has only been documented since the Reformation (previously “Old Hospital” possibly as a differentiation from the “New Hospital” originally located in the Pilgrim House ). The original name of the facility was Hospital to the Holy Spirit . In the 14th century the High Hospital was converted into a beneficiary house for young single women ("maidens"). The names of 300 of these residents have been passed down to around 1600.

Today's ruin

The remains of the High Hospital are now considered to be one of the “most important architectural and ground monuments in Westphalia” (see web link to the monument of the month). Above ground, however, only a remnant of the wall (the so-called Wittekind wall ) can be seen, which was preserved when the old building was finally laid down in 1809/1810, because at the time it served as a rear retaining wall for adjacent half-timbered houses. A part of the wall is freely visible, another part is accessible via the branch of the adjoining Sparkasse.

supporting documents

  1. Horst-Peter Wolff: Biographical Lexicon for Nursing History: “who was WHO in Nursing History” , Volume 4, ed. by Hubert Kolling, 1st edition. Verlag Urban und Fischer, 2008, p. 183ff

literature

  • Hans Beck / Anton Doms: excavations at the Hohen Hospital in 1970 . In: Soester Zeitschrift 83, 1971, pp. 5-6.
  • Julia Lumpe: The High Hospital - Palatinate of the Archbishop of Cologne . In: The City of Soest - Archeology and Architecture , with contributions by Gabriele Isenberg, editing and editing: Walter Melzer, Stuttgart 2000 (Guide to archaeological monuments in Germany, 38).
  • Julia Lumpe: Pfalz - Hospital - Beneficiary House. New excavations at the St. Petri parish hall in Soest and their significance for the history of the “High Hospital” . Soest 2000 (Soest contributions to archeology, 4; as master's thesis: Münster 1999), ISBN 3-87902-303-4 .
  • Beate Sophie Gros: The High Hospital in Soest (approx. 1178–1600). A prosopographical and socio-historical investigation . Münster 1999 (Publications of the Historical Commission for Westphalia XXV: Urkunden-Regesten der Soester Wohlfahrtsanstalten, Volume 5), ISBN 3-402-06808-7 .

Sources and web links

Coordinates: 51 ° 34 ′ 16.4 "  N , 8 ° 6 ′ 23.8"  E