John of Nepomuk (Waldau)
The Roman Catholic branch church Johannes von Nepomuk is located in the castle village Waldau (Kirchweg 2), a district of the Upper Palatinate town of Vohenstrauß . It belongs to the parish community Vohenstrauß-Böhmischbruck-Altenstadt-Altentreswitz-Kössing-Oberlind-Waldau.
Early church building in Waldau
Waldau is not mentioned in the oldest parish register of the Diocese of Regensburg from 1326. However, there must have been a church in Waldau as early as the 16th century, because when Altenstadt was separated from Vohenstrauss in 1542, Waldau is still called a branch of Altenstadt . A written document about a church in Waldau comes from 1601. At that time the Lutheran Georg Christoph von Wirsberg had a new little church built outside the castle next to his malt house because the old branch church had collapsed. This nobleman appeared as early as 1596 when he sold his subjects in Ober- and Unterlind to the Margrave Georg Friedrich . The church was consecrated on July 19, 1601 by the superintendent Böhm from Vohenstrauß and consecrated to the Holy Trinity . In the course of the Counter Reformation , Jesuits looked after the church in Waldau from 1627 to 1630, while the Waldau branch was separated from Altenstadt, which remained Protestant. During this time, Waldau was looked after by the Catholic parish of Lennesrieth, which is now part of Waldthurn . From 1657 Waldau came under the custody of the Capuchins von Vohenstrauss .
After this church, too, became dilapidated in the 18th century, it was demolished in 1716 at the behest of Baron Johann Carl von Rummel and the church was relocated to Waldau Castle, which was already vacant . Here, the previously freestanding was keep converted into a bell tower, a connecting building became the choir and the three-story palace to the nave. At that time a castle beneficia was established; that is why it is still officially called the “Benefician Waldau St. Johannes Nepomuk” today. The first beneficiary was Andreas Stubenrauch, of whom a plaque on the outer wall of the new church (it used to be in the castle church) reminds us; his bones were also buried in the new church next to the high altar († October 23, 1751). In 1721 a vestibule and the church staircase were built, in 1736 a belfry with four bells was built on the top floor of the keep.
New construction of the Johannes-von-Nepomuk-Church
The current village church was built in 1912 according to plans by the Regensburg architect Heinrich Hauberrisser in a neo-baroque style. The new church was consecrated to John of Nepomuk and consecrated on May 22, 1932 by Bishop Michael Buchberger . In front of the castle entrance is a statue of Nepomuk from the 18th century, which shows the alliance coat of arms of the Rummels and the Podewils in the base .
Interior
The equipment goes z. Some of it goes back to the former castle chapel, which was generously furnished by the Barons von Rummel (owner of the Hofmark since 1681). The older high altar is surrounded by an elaborately carved antependium . The altarpiece shows a hanging Christ in the Dutch style. The side figures to the altarpiece represent Saints Peter and Paul .
The two side altars are also decorated with rich acanthus carvings . The right one is consecrated to the saint of the church. Presumably he was born around 1717 by Karl Johann Freiherr von Rummel and his wife Rosina Dorothea, b. Freiin von Podewils , was donated. The choice of this saint, who was only canonized in 1729, is probably due to his wife, who comes from Bohemia , because the Prague bridge saint was venerated there earlier. The left side altar is a St. Mary's altar that was created by the Weiden sculptor Johann Wolfgang Rösch in 1948. The figure of Mary, the figure of Joseph and the crucifixion group come from the castle church.
The pulpit and the Stations of the Cross were also transferred to the new church first, but the old images of the Stations of the Cross were replaced in 1949. The pulpit was later removed, only the relief of Romulus and Remus (an allusion to the Barons von Rummel) was placed in the choir arch. The popular altar and ambo were designed by Hans Wurmen from Hausen.
organ
When the new Catholic parish church in Vohenstrauß got a new organ, the old organ was sold to Waldau in 1932. The instrument was a mechanical organ that was built in 1858 by Joseph Bohl from Augsburg in 1858 with a single manual. Presumably this was expanded in 1875 by the organ building company Steinmeyer from Oettingen with a second manual and 17 stops. As a special feature, the instrument worked with two systems, the first manual was a slider drawer, the second manual and pedal a cone drawer. The instrument proved to be very fragile and therefore the parish decided in 1990 to shut down the organ and temporarily buy a computer organ.
Since 1998 a pipe organ has been in service again in Waldau. This is a used instrument from the Steinmayer company from 1971 (op. 2259), which the Protestant community of Lützelsachsen offered for sale because of a church redesign. The organ was slightly modified and re-voiced by the Jann company from Allkofen . The fully mechanical organ has 13 stops on two manuals and a pedal. For the Waldau church, the instrument was provided with golden carvings and marbling, whereby these decorations correspond to the acanthus carvings on the altars.
literature
- Peter Staniczek: Cathol. Filial church St. Johannes von Nepomuk in Waldau. In church guides to churches and chapels in the city and large parish Vohenstrauss. (= Streifzüge - contributions to local lore and local history of the city and large community Vohenstrauß and the surrounding area, 15th year, 2000, issue 22 ), pp. 53–64.
- Andreas Weiß: The organs in the churches of the Vohenstrauss congregation. In church guides to churches and chapels in the city and large parish Vohenstrauss. (= Streifzüge - contributions to local history and local history of the city and large community Vohenstrauss and the surrounding area, 15th year, 2000, issue 22 ), pp. 95–96.
Web links
- Catholic branch church “St. Johannes von Nepomuk ”in Waldau
- Aerial photos of Waldau
- The battle for the castle lasted decades. The new day of June 23, 2017
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dieter Bernd: Vohenstrauss . In: Historical Atlas of Bavaria , part of Old Bavaria . Series I, issue 39. Komm. Für Bayerische Landesgeschichte, Munich 1977, ISBN 3-7696-9900-9 , p. 68 ( digitized version ).
- ↑ Dieter Bernd: Vohenstrauss . In: Historical Atlas of Bavaria , part of Old Bavaria . Series I, issue 39. Komm. Für Bayerische Landesgeschichte, Munich 1977, ISBN 3-7696-9900-9 , p. 100 ( digitized version ).
- ↑ Andreas Weiß: The organs in the churches of the large community Vohenstrauss. In church guides to churches and chapels in the city and large parish Vohenstrauss. (= Streifzüge - contributions to local history and local history of the city and large community Vohenstrauss and the surrounding area, 15th year, 2000, issue 22 ), pp. 95–96.
Coordinates: 49 ° 38 ′ 16.3 " N , 12 ° 18 ′ 30" E