Ihlefeld (desert)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ihlefeld was a small settlement on the ridge of the Hainich and belongs to the Mülverstedt district of the municipality of Unstrut-Hainich . Today there is a newly built excursion restaurant at a crossroads, which ties in with the tradition of the Ihlefeld as a hiking destination.

location

The begging corpse
The Ihlefeld Cross
The Iron Hand

The Ihlefeld is located on the ridge of the Hainich at the intersection with an old trade route that connected Mülverstedt and Flarchheim with the neighboring towns of Mihla and Lauterbach to the west . The desert is still clearly recognizable as a cleared island in the forest, it is 440  m above sea level. NN .

history

The Ihlefeld is one of the few settlements that could be found on the ridge of the Hainich. The Hohe Straße has existed since the High Middle Ages , connecting the places east and west of the forest. At the instigation of the Archdiocese of Mainz , the development of the state in Hainich has been advanced since the 12th century . This also led to the establishment of the village of Bischofroda .

According to legend, there was a small monastic hermitage on the Ihlefeld and nearby a hostel of the Kalandsbruderschaft of Saint Anthony , in which traders and travelers found quarters on the twelve kilometer-long Hohe Straße over the Hainich. This can still be understood with the field names Antoniusherberge , Mönchsfeld , Mönchsbrunnen, Siechenholz , Kirchberg and Walpertal . The place was also of strategic importance, as it was halfway between the landgrave cities and castles of Creuzburg , Thamsbrück , Langensalza and the Dryburg . Nearby, above Kammerforst, the Thuringian landgraves built a customs station, the field name "Zollgarten" indicates this. In 1443, the Catherine's Monastery in Eisenach acquired the Ihlefeld farm. Another farm yard was called Reckenbühl . According to legend, tournaments were held in the open space by the aristocrats in the area (knights = warriors).

After secularization , the forest district and the farms came to the Lords of Hopffgarten , who were also lords of Haineck Castle and exercised the right of escort in Hainich.

According to local tradition, the Antoniusherberge was destroyed by the residents of the surrounding villages because it had become a refuge for robbers and highwaymen, and the last hostess Viescheringk had also proven himself guilty of numerous crimes.

After a major fire caused by a lightning strike on April 30, 1826, the Ihlefeld forester's house had to be rebuilt. A modern manor with an attached forester's house was created. In 1931 the Ihlefeld was sold to a tenant and in 1945 it was confiscated. Resettlers and refugees were quartered in Gut Ihlefeld, the settlement was expanded by building a consumer outlet, and at times a school and a children's holiday camp were also operated.

Due to the NVA's expansion plans for the Weberstedt shooting range, Ihlefeld had to be cleared in 1964. The existing buildings in the Ihlefeld and Reckenbühl settlement were leveled by a demolition command. Remnants in the ground can still be seen.

Attractions

The begging corpse

The beggar oak is a natural monument on the main road from Ihlefeld to Mülverstedt. A wayside shrine and a container for offerings are said to have been located here in the pre-Reformation period . The image of the saint was in a niche that was sunk into the trunk. Due to rot and weathering, the niche has expanded to its present size over the past five hundred years. The begging oak is protected as a natural and cultural monument because of its age and its historical significance.

The Ihlefeld Cross

The Ihlefelder Kreuz is located near the begging oak on the main road to Mülverstedt. It is reminiscent of a hunting accident with a brown bear . The scene recognizable on the front of the stone shows a hunter frozen in terror with a hunting spear in his hand, who is jumped at and thrown down by a bear standing on its hind paws.

The iron hand

At a crossroads at Ihlefeld there has been a striking signpost called Iron Hand since the Middle Ages . It was mentioned in 1554 in a Bad Langensalza register as a site marker. One looks at a copy, the original was saved in 1964 and re-erected at the castle in Mülverstedt.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Paul Bottom, Rainer Lämmerhirt: deserted villages in Hainich area (= West Thuringian homeland writings. 5). 2nd, modified edition. Rockstuhl, Bad Langensalza 2001, ISBN 3-934748-86-4 , pp. 75-82.
  2. ↑ a b c Information board on the property

Coordinates: 51 ° 5 '9 "  N , 10 ° 24' 7.8"  E