Hus Aren

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Hus Aren , also known as Arnhem Castle , formerly Arnhem , is the stables of a medieval low castle southeast of the Bückeburg district of Nordholz. Archaeological findings indicate that the fortification was built in the 12th century. According to historical sources, the Lords of Arnhem sat at the castle as a regional noble family . After their displacement by the Counts of Schaumburg came in 1302 for razing the castle.

Aerial view of the castle site with soil discoloration from the moat

Location and description

The castle site is located about 3.5 km northwest of Bückeburg Castle in the wet lowland area of ​​the Bückeburger Aue , which is mainly used as pasture. It is located about 400 meters east of the Bückeburg district of Nordholz on a meadow directly on a dirt road. The castle hill, which can be seen as a flat elevation about 0.5 meters high, has an oval shape measuring about 60 by 80 meters. On it stands a small group of trees with a distinctive single tree. The surrounding moat is clearly recognizable as a contour in a partial area, for example in spring during floods . Another, outer ring trench in the area can only be guessed at.

It is believed that the castle's location was strategically chosen to control a trade route from Minden to the east. It is said to have led as Hellweg through today's Bückeburg district of Petzen.

history

In the middle of the 12th century, a noble family was known that sat on the Alte Bückeburg near Obernkirchen . As a member of the family, the knight Hermann von Arnheim (* around 1150; † 1213/1216) received the castle from the Ascanian Dietrich von Werben, a son of Albrecht I , as a fief . In 1180 the castle passed to the Obernkirchen Abbey and Hermann von Arnheim had to leave it. He moved to the Bückeburg lowlands, where the Nordholz settlement was later formed around 1600. It is not known whether Arnhem Castle, now known as Hus Aren , existed when Hermann von Arnheim arrived around 1180. The castle name stands for the house of the people of Arnhem . The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1273. In it, Duke Johann von Braunschweig-Lüneburg confirmed to the Bishop of Minden that he had no rights to the castle. Other documents from Hus Aren and Arnhem Castle date from 1255 and 1257. Around this time, the Counts of Schaumburg acquired ownership rights to the castle. As early as 1244, according to a document, they agreed with the Bishop of Minden to build a castle together, which could have been the neighboring Nygenburg. When there was a dispute over Arnhem Castle between the Bishop of Minden and the Counts of Schaumburg at the end of the 12th century, both parties decided to demolish it, which took place in 1302.

When the Counts of Schaumburg got a share in Hus Aren in the middle of the 13th century, they ousted the resident family of Arnhem. After 1300 it is no longer in the written records and it is assumed that it was absorbed by the urban upper class of Stadthagen .

Excavations

The flat castle hill of Hus Aren with a group of trees, in front of it the former moat is deepened as an ice surface in winter (2013)
The flat castle hill with a group of trees

The first research into the castle was undertaken by the Association for History, Regional Studies and Antiquities of Schaumburg-Lippe in 1880. Archaeological investigations at the castle site were carried out in 1892 by the Bückeburg medical officer Reinhard Weiß (1848–1909), who carried out a five-day excavation on the castle hill and undertook in the foreground. In 1905, the local history researcher Friedrich Mosebach from Bückeburg continued the excavations and made plans for the complex, on which he drew possible external works in the form of farm yards. Further excavations were carried out between 1950 and 1955 by the then head of the Bückeburg State Archives , archivist Franz Engel. All excavations have been insufficiently documented. The numerous finds came to the Museum Bückeburg and the Lower Saxony State Museum in Hanover.

Nygenburg

During the excavations carried out at the Hus Aren castle site in 1905, local history researcher Friedrich Mosebach claims to have discovered another castle site on the basis of uneven ground in the lowland directly at Nordholz. He saw in it the traditional Nygenburg . More recent investigations from 2011 onwards could not confirm the location.

Finds

Horseshoes and winged lance tips , found objects by Hus Aren in the Bückeburg Museum

The excavations of 1892 and the investigations in the 1950s exposed parts of the curtain wall and wall foundations, with sandstone masonry found resting on a pile construction. Individual remains of the wall have been interpreted as an earlier hexagonal tower. The foundations of a small building with a fireplace as well as those of another building with an area of ​​5 × 8 meters were also discovered. Remnants of slate were interpreted as roofing.

Around 720 medieval ceramic fragments, including a complete jug, have so far been found in and around the castle site. This also includes reading finds from 1995, which were in a meadow about 150 meters southwest. The oldest ceramic finds at the castle site date Hus Aren to the middle of the 12th century. Other ceramic finds of ball pots , jugs and jugs are from Siegburg stoneware . Finds from the household sector were several clay spinning vortices . The iron parts found were riding accessories such as spurs , horseshoes and bridle parts , an ax , keys and fittings. Weapon parts found include metal bullet tips, although it is not possible to distinguish whether they were arrowheads or crossbow projectiles . A wing lance tip found had a total length of 36 cm. Some sword blades up to 25 cm long were almost completely corroded. The range of finds is typical of a 13th century castle and differs significantly from that of a rural settlement area.

Recent research

Since around 2006 there have been more recent investigations into the exploration of the Hus Aren castle site. Since 2009 they have been taking place under the leadership of the municipal archeology of the Schaumburg landscape . Support is provided by the Hus Aren working group as an association of regional homeland researchers . Surveys have been carried out since 2011 to explore the castle hill of Hus Aren and the wider area. So far, this has been done exclusively non-destructively, such as by means of a relief mapping , from which a three-dimensional terrain model can be generated. It showed that the castle hill is about one meter above the bottom of the surrounding ditch. The castle hill is divided into two higher places. The surrounding moat is only half a meter deep and is 5 to 10 meters wide.

A geomagnetic survey carried out in 2011 covered a rectangular area of ​​around 250 × 400 meters around the castle hill. This revealed the floor plan of a castle with a bailey and a polygonal structure that could have been a former garden. Two parallel linear structures were recognized on the castle hill, which are interpreted as the remains of fortifications. Various soil anomalies were found in the area, suggesting, among other things, earlier water courses, stone, furnace and slag remains .

In February 2013 further exploration work was carried out by means of near-surface boreholes . In June 2013, the intention was to investigate any abnormalities encountered in more detail.

Tourist development

Newly established rest area with information board at the castle site

On the Day of the Monument in 2008, the former castle site of Hus Aren was presented to the public for the first time by the Rinteln Archeology Working Group, and since 2011 the finds from earlier excavations have been re-presented in the Museum Bückeburg. Since 2009, the city of Bückeburg has been supporting further explorations with around 50,000 euros in order to develop the complex for tourism. This is part of the EU -Programms LEADER promoted. The funding program also includes the more extensive site surveys begun in 2011 in order to obtain a picture of the castle and the way of life of its residents. In addition, dirt roads have been prepared that connect the property to two circular cycle routes on historical topics. A rest area with an information board was created for visitors. The castle site itself is not yet accessible because it is used as a meadow.

legend

The preacher Holzapfel of the Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian in Petzen wrote down the legend of Hus Aren around 1750 based on stories from old residents of the area. It was first published in 1751 in a book on the history of Bückeburg. Comparable to similar narratives about men being carried away by women, it reads in short form:

Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damians in Petzen
Hus Aren Castle was in the lowlands between Bückeburg and Minden . For centuries, no ruling lords lived on it, but robber barons and pirates . The last count called himself Arnum or Annois. He and his wife were not converted to Christianity, but instead worshiped the sun and moon while they sacrificed a pig on an altar in their castle. When the count was absent during a raid, clergymen persuaded the countess to accept the Christian religion and to be baptized. She then donated seven churches, including the church in Petzen, where she had two stone carvings attached to the tower. One shows her husband with a lance in hand, the other shows both spouses at an altar on which a sacrificial pig is lying with the sun and moon above it. The count then did not allow the robbery. The Hanseatic cities then besieged his castle in order to destroy it and kill him. The residents of the castle surrendered to hunger after they were assured safe conduct, what they could carry and planting an acorn garden . The Countess decided in a Kiepe take her husband what saved his life. The castle was destroyed and an acorn garden was planted, which later became part of the Schaumburg Forest .
Stone reliefs on the steeple of the Petzen Church
Person with staff and animal between the sound hatches
Tympanum depicting Hermann and Humility from Arnhem on an altar

In terms of time, the church in Petzen, first mentioned in 1181, dates back to the existence of Hus Aren Castle. The forecast interprets a high in the bell tower attached to the church tympanum , which Hermann and humility of Arnhem kneeling at the bedside of a sick person to represent. According to the legend, it is the couple who sacrifice a pig on the altar. Both are incorrect. It is a representation of the ancient doctors Cosmas and Damian, to whom the church is dedicated. The other stone relief between the sound hatches of the church tower shows a man with a winged lance and a dog or rabbit in his hand. The legend sees the count with a lance and a sacrificial animal.

literature

Web links

Commons : Hus Aren  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Greens inform about Hus Aren in: Schaumburger Wochenblatt from June 2, 2012
  2. ^ Look below the surface without digging in: Schaumburger Nachrichten of February 2, 2011
  3. New pieces in the exciting puzzle about "Hus Aren" in: Schaumburger Nachrichten of February 26, 2012
  4. On the trail of the old castle complex in: Schaumburger Nachrichten of April 16, 2009
  5. Leader project sketch Arnhem Castle from 2009 (pdf, 76 kB)
  6. On the trail of the old castle complex in: Schaumburger Wochenblatt of January 14, 2012

Coordinates: 52 ° 17 '5 "  N , 9 ° 0' 46.9"  E