Hospital of the Holy Spirit (Schwäbisch Hall)
The Hospital of the Holy Spirit is, on the one hand, the name for the three-winged building complex of the former hospital in the city center of Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg . On the other hand, it is the official name of the foundation that still exists today that operated the hospital and its ancillary facilities.
Hospital building
The historic hospital buildings are located on Am Spitalbach street on the northern edge of the historic old town of Schwäbisch Hall, only a short distance from the eastern bank of the Kocher . After a major fire in the city in 1728, the hospital complex was rebuilt in its current form in 1731. Today the buildings house the Goethe Institute and the Schwäbisch Hall University of Applied Sciences . Cultural events are held in the former hospital church, which was converted into a concert hall in 1964.
Hospital Foundation
The foundation (own name: The Hospital of the Holy Spirit) is a legally independent institution of free welfare and is managed and administered by the city of Schwäbisch Hall. It is a legal foundation . The patron was and is the respective head of the city, during the times of the imperial city the town master, later the city councilor , today the mayor .
The foundation has large forest holdings and an extensive housing portfolio. This makes it financially independent and represents an important economic factor within the city. With these funds, it provides housing for socially disadvantaged families. It promotes and supports youth welfare institutions and various other educational institutions, such as the technical college. It also operates four old people's homes. The hospital foundation is also financially involved in the field of health care and local recreation. To provide material support to those in need, it provides an annual social fund.
History of the hospital
The hospital was first mentioned in a letter of foundation from 1228, in which a Sivridus and an Agatha transferred their assets to an existing but dilapidated hospital foundation . This document was signed by 39 witnesses and sealed to the Haller mayor at the time, which indicates that great importance was attached to the hospital foundation.
In 1249 the management of the hospital was transferred to the commander of the Order of St. John , which was then based in Hall . The Brothers of the Knight Order committed themselves to accepting a maximum of 20 sick people. The blind, lame and chronically ill were excluded from the care. In return, the Johanniter received the hospital's assets.
In 1317, the Johannitern were deprived of the management of the hospital and the hospital assets by the city. From then on the city ran the hospital itself, administered the assets and ran the business of the hospital foundation.
In a letter of indulgence from 1319, the group of people that the hospital had to look after was considerably expanded: in addition to the acutely ill, the hospital now had to accept and care for the blind, lame, orphans, minors, the chronically ill and the physically handicapped. In the same document it was also referred to as the Hospital of the Holy Spirit for the first time . The supervision of the hospital assets was now carried out by two representatives of the city council. These were called hospital nurses. The head of administration for the entire hospital operation was called the hospital master. In the following years, the hospital was often bequeathed large estates and assets. Through this and through the profitable investment of surpluses, the property of the hospital increased considerably.
In 1400 the hospital already owned 8 large farms, 18 smaller estates, 14 fiefs and 230 acres of forest. The hospital inmates were admitted out of mercy until the 1390s. After this time, wealthy citizens were able to buy a nursing place in the hospital by transferring their assets to the hospital, but receiving food, housing and care for life in the hospital. These hospital residents were called beneficiaries . The hospital had now turned into a nursing home from a hospital for the poor.
In the 15th century the hospital expanded its property many times over. The reason for this were transfers of ownership from donors, but also large purchases of their own. As the largest acquisition, the hospital acquired the entire Hall of Honhardt from the city of Hall in 1446 . Another important acquisition was the purchase of the Teurershof in 1479.
In the 16th century, after the Reformation , the hospital no longer received any bequests or property transfers. The believers could no longer redeem themselves from their sins by doing good works . Nevertheless, the hospital was able to demonstrate enormous economic success in this century.
In the 17th century this was rather insignificant , not least due to the Thirty Years War and its consequences. Due to its large fortune, especially in property, the hospital was able to carry out its tasks during this time.
In the 18th century the defining event for the whole town of Hall was the town fire of 1728 , in which the hospital buildings were also completely destroyed. After the fire, the hospital's inmates were distributed to various quarters throughout the city and in the suburbs (at that time, the hospital was catering for 370 people). Reconstruction of the hospital began in 1730 and the hospital complex was built in its current form on the old site.
At the beginning of the 19th century Hall lost its independence as an imperial city and became the upper administrative city of Württemberg . With the nationalization of the salt works in 1804 a phase of economic stagnation and regression began. In 1856 the hospital was closed as a hospital.
Web links
- Am Spitalbach 8 - former Hospital of the Holy Spirit in the building directory of the city of Schwäbisch Hall
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hospital Church on schwäbischhall.de
- ↑ The foundation on the website of the regional council Stuttgart ( 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.
- ↑ Hospital administration on schwäbischhall.de
- ↑ The Hospital Foundation on schwäbischhall.de ( 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.
- ↑ History of the hospital on schwäbischhall.de ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 49 ° 6 ′ 49.4 " N , 9 ° 44 ′ 7.3" E