Copper Master Cemetery
The copper master cemetery or Finkenberg cemetery is located in Stolberg (Rhld.) In the city region of Aachen and dates from 1688. It is one of the contemporary documents of the industrialization of Stolberg .
prehistory
Religious situation in Aachen
The later Stolberg copper masters had their homes in the city of Aachen at the beginning of the 16th century . They used the advantages of the city and avoided the inhospitable place Stolberg, which, according to documents, consisted of only 16 half-timbered houses at that time. The castle was the only stone building in Stolberg.
The Schleicher family from Aachen was the first copper master family to build a copper yard in Stolberg , having previously acquired shares in hammer mills in this location. She belonged to the Lutheran faith, publicly acknowledged it and even set up prayer rooms in Aachen. In 1568 Leonhard Schleicher came before a Catholic church court because he did not have his children baptized as Catholics but in the "new faith". The City Council of Aachen decided that anyone who did not have their child baptized as a Catholic within 14 days of the birth must leave the city and district. Although this regulation was never implemented, Leonhard Schleicher decided in 1571 to leave Aachen and move to Stolberg. There he built his first copper yard, today's Adler pharmacy. Schleicher quickly recognized the advantages of the location in Stolberg and built more copper yards for his children. Around 1575 followed with Mathias Peltzer (1555-1602), son of the Aachen mayor Matthias Peltzer (1508-1591), another copper master, also Protestant, who with his move was the first of his family to draw his conclusions from the quarrels of the Aachen religious unrest and the The progenitor of the successful and widely ramified Kupfermeister family.
By imposing the imperial ban on the Protestant residents of Aachen in 1598, more Protestant copper masters moved to Stolberg. This measure was implemented in 1614 by the Spanish General Spinola . Since the Reichsacht meant significant restrictions on the life of the copper masters, it made it easier for many factory owners to move to neighboring Stolberg. The fire of Aachen in 1656 made the decision easier for many due to the severe destruction. The number of immigrant copper masters rose rapidly and reached forty families by the end of the 17th century. These included the families Lynen (1621 and 1652), von Asten (1638), Hoesch (between 1607 and 1611), Prym (1652), Schauff (1652), Schardinell, Mewis, de Buirette, Beck (1668) and Momma, as well the de Blanche family from France.
Religious situation in Stolberg
At the end of the 16th century, the situation in Stolberg worsened due to advancing Protestantism. In 1572 Stolberg separated from the mother church in Eschweiler . Johann von Efferen blocked the gates to the castle chapel for Catholic priests from Eschweiler. In addition, Stolberg stopped the previous payments to the mother church. In 1590 Johann von Efferen brought a Lutheran priest to Stolberg. Two years later there was a conflict between Eschweiler and Stolberg. The Catholic priest Eschweilers Foess planned to hold a mass in the castle chapel on the second Sunday after Easter. Accompanied by clerks, court messengers and some armed men, he tried to gain access to the chapel. This was locked, however, and Johann von Efferen awaited the approaching people with some armed men, whereupon they broke off their action. It is not known whether Johann von Efferen converted to the Lutheran faith. It can be assumed that the separation of the church from Eschweiler had economic reasons, as a Lutheran church in Stolberg made it easier to attract more copper masters in addition to the 12 copper masters that already existed at the end of the 16th century.
For the Catholics in Stolberg the situation seemed to be extremely difficult. In 1592 a Lutheran congregation was founded in Stolberg. It was headed by Pastor Johannes Becker between 1592, followed by Pastor Arnold Steineweg, who held office until 1606.
By 1607 there had been several changes of power in Stolberg and Odilia von Harff became lord of the castle . It brought about a re-catholicization : it drove the Lutheran priests out of the castle chapel and obliged Aachen Augustinian canons to hold masses in the chapel. The religious situation of the Stolberg copper masters had worsened considerably.
Church building
As the number of Protestant immigrants increased, the copper masters asked themselves about a prayer facility. Private prayer rooms quickly became too small for the large number of people. The Reformed parishes in Stolberg built their own small church in Vogelsang in 1617, the construction of which was approved by David Spies von Büllesheim zu Motzenborn, the bailiff of Wilhelmstein. The resistance of the lords of the castle was evident in the fact that in autumn 1638 they demanded a special fee from the Protestants. They had to give up an ox every year. As a further requirement, he banned congregational singing and public services. The financially strong copper masters finally offered the castle woman Wilhelmine Gertrud von Metternich zu Zievel a hundred Reichstaler . This bought them the right to worship. From 1645 songs could be sung again.
In 1647 the Lutheran population built their own church on the Finkenberg. The Finkenberg Church was first built of wood. Lord of the castle Johann Dietrich von Efferen agreed to the building of the church. The inauguration took place on the "(H) urgent Christage Anno 1650".
After the construction of this second Protestant church, the copper masters built their own cemetery on the neighboring site in 1668. This has been preserved to this day and is considered a testimony to the contemporary history of Stolberg.
graveyard
Since around 1600 the Catholics, Lutherans and Reformed Stolbergs buried their dead in the cemetery by the castle chapel, with Reformed and Lutherans being buried in a separate area. The situation changed during the reign of Odilie von Harff. The Catholic priest asked for half a Reichstaler for himself and a guilder for the clerk for the funeral of non-Catholics. In 1673 this led to a dispute between the Catholic pastor Jakob Maubach and the children of the destitute Lutherans Jakob and Paulus Gudrath, who could not raise this fee. The mayor Severin Driessen had the family seized.
The Lutheran priest declared the funeral fee invalid with reference to the religious comparison of 1666 and 1672. This was confirmed on March 21 and April 5, 1674 by the Count Palatine. This made the seizures reversed, but this was never implemented due to the independence of the subordinate rule of Stolberger.
It was not until September 15, 1691 that Elector Johann Wilhelm decided that the same fee should be charged for Catholics, Reformed and Evangelical Lutherans. This requirement came too late, however, because the Reformed and Lutheran congregations had already set up their own cemetery in 1686. Numerous corpses were reburied, but some remained in the old Catholic cemetery in the piece reserved for the Reformed. This meant that the Catholic cemetery section soon became too small. As a consequence, in 1748 mayor Jäger tried to acquire the reformed part for the Catholic community. After the rejection by the Reformed, an expensive legal battle ensued. The electoral secret council in Düsseldorf finally decided that the Reformed should not leave their graves in the Catholic cemetery. In 1752, the Prussian resident of Kleve objected to this decision, but this did not change the situation of the Evangelicals.
The first burial in the copper master cemetery took place in 1686 when copper master Johannes Markant was buried. The preserved Mirck on the tombstone is interesting . This is very unusual for art objects.
The grave slabs of the copper master graves go back to the 17th century and bear the names of all the leading copper master families in Stolberg. The family coats of arms of the copper masters are emblazoned on numerous heads of the tombstones. It is striking that the grave slabs of the individual families were arranged in groups, creating the impression of a coherent family grave site.
The grave slabs are the oldest evidence of the creation of copper master coats of arms. Historically, they appear in the following order:
| year | Name of the copper master family |
|---|---|
| 1662 | Peltzer and de Blanche |
| 1678 | Beck |
| 1680 | Sneak |
| 1682 | Schardinel |
| 1692 | Laugh and Petein |
| 1693 | Lynen |
| 1696 | Momma |
| Not before 1681 | from Wachtendonk |
| Not before 1690 | Prym |
| Not before 1691 | from Asten |
| Around 1691 | Steingen and von Meyen |
| 1715 | Hoen |
| 1723 | Schauff |
| 1727 | Mewis |
| 1728 | Burette |
| Not before 1721 | Nierstrass |
| 1732 | Treehouse |
| 1734 | Herstatt |
| 1745 | Huppertz |
| 1753 | Hoesch |
In the course of time, many grave slabs have been badly weathered and the inscriptions and names of the copper masters are sometimes difficult to recognize. In the meantime, five grave slabs from the copper master cemetery have been brought into the interior of the Finkenberg Church to protect them from further deterioration.
Permanent care tries to maintain the current condition of the graves and grave slabs.
Overview of the graves
| No. | Grave no. | date of death | Surname | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15th | 09/12/1662 | Leonhard de Blanche and Margarete Peltzer | Previously in the castle cemetery |
| 2 | 19th | 09/19/1678 | Johannes Peltzer and Barbara Beck. | Previously in the castle cemetery |
| 3 | 29 | 1682 | Philippus Schleicher and Maria Schardinel | Previously in the castle cemetery |
| 4th | 79 | 05/04/1686 | Johannes Markant and Anna Schleicher. | Since the beginning at the Finkenberg cemetery |
| 5 | 78 | 03/26/1687 | Wilhelmus Putz | Since the beginning at the Finkenberg cemetery |
| 6th | 72 | 04/21/1688 | Maria von Asten. | Since the beginning at the Finkenberg cemetery |
| 7th | 25th | 08/22/1692 | Nikolaus Lach and Maria Petein | Since the beginning at the Finkenberg cemetery |
| 8th | 16 | 07/20/1693 | Laurenz Lynen and Anna de Blanche. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 9 | 22nd | 1693 | Johann Pelzer, Sibilla Peltzer, Margarete Lynen | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 10 | 28 | 1696 | Maria Peltzer and Jakob Momma. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 11 | 17th | not before 1681 | Gotthard Schardinel u. Sara von Wachtendonk | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 12 | 23 | Old | Maria Peltzer (* 1650) and Leonhard Konrad Momma. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 13 | 14th | not before 1690 | Heinrich Prym and Anna Katharina Schardinel (* 1656) | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 14th | 31 | not before 1691 | Johann Peltzer Dierichs and Anna Maria Lynen. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 15th | 32 | not before 1691 | Leonard von Asten and Sibilla Peltzer | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 16 | 33 | Old | Johann Adolf Steingen and Gertrud von Meyen. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 17th | 76 | 07/01/1710 | Wilhelm Kuckartz | Since the beginning at the Finkenberg cemetery |
| 18th | 18th | 07/16/1712 | Matthias Werner Peltzer and Sarah Lynen. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 19th | 24 | 04/18/1713 | Johann Peltzer Jordan and Elisabeth Lach | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 20th | 30th | 1715 | Johanna Peltzer, Johannes Schleicher, Maria Hoen. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 21st | 8th | 05/17/1718 | Isaak Lynen and Gertrud von Wqachtendonk | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 22nd | 36 | 04/15/1718 | Johannes Peltzer and Maria Prym. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 23 | 61 | 1718 | Gerhard von Asten and Maria Prym | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 24 | 27 | after May 7th, 1719 | Johannes Lach and Gertrud Schleicher. | - |
| 25th | 71 | 04/07/1723 | Gottfried Schardinel | Since the beginning at the Finkenberg cemetery |
| 26th | 70 | 08/15/1723 | Daniel Thielle. | Since the beginning at the Finkenberg cemetery |
| 27 | 11 | 03/23/1723 | Matthias Schleicher and Gertrud Schauff | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 28 | 35 | 1724 | Johannes Mewis and Sarah Peltzer. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 29 | 3 | 04/20/1728 | Laurenz Lynen and Anna Maria von Buyrette | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 30th | 34 | after 1721 | Theodor Peltzer and Johanna Katharina Nierstrass. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 31 | 39 | after 1723 | Johann von Asten and Maria Gertrud Schleicher | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 32 | 12 | 1731 | Guilleaume Schleicher and Anna Katharina Schleicher. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 33 | 2 | 06/10/1732 | Charlotte Peltzer b. Baumheuer, Isaac Peltzer and Barbara Mommer | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 34 | 5 | 07/21/1734 | Heinrich Peltzer and Johanna Herstatt | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 35 | 1 | 1/15/1738 | Theodor Peltzer and Margarete Prym | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 36 | 20th | 07/24/1740 | Johann Adolf Peltzer and Adelheid Prym. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 37 | 13 | 12/09/1741 | Leonhard Schleicher and Mrgarete Mecht. Peltzer | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 38 | 9 | 02/23/1745 | Leonhard Schleicher and Gertrud Huppertz. | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 39 | 4th | 06/20/1750 | Laurenz Lynen and Johanna Mewis | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 40 | 10 | 02/05/1753 | Isaac Schleicher and Johanna Katharina Hoesch | possibly reburied from the castle cemetery |
| 41 | 69 | 1753 | Andreas Heyll and Anna Maria Kueppers | - |
| 42 | 7th | 04/23/1762 | Isaac Lynen and Agneta Mewis | - |
| 43 | 26th | 04/04/1763 | Johann Wilhelm Peltzer and Maria Elisabeth Lach | - |
| 44 | 101 | after 1742 | Christian Prym and Katharina Gertrud Peltzer | - |
| 45 | 120 | after 1750 | Johann Adam Lynen and Susanne Maria von Asten and Elise von Asten | - |
| 46 | 98 | after 1758 | Heinrich Prym and Anna Kornelia Peuchen | - |
| 47 | 96 | September 18, 1770 | Maria Gertrud Schleicher, Laurenz Lynen IsaacsEva Elisabeth Peltzer | - |
| 48 | 6th | 05/28/1772 | Mecht. Elisabeth Peltzer and Matthias Schleicher | - |
| 49 | 38 | 03/04/1772 | Matthias von Asten and Johanna Gertrud Peltzer | - |
| 50 | 97 | 1772 | Anna Gertrud Prym, Anna Katharina Prym | - |
| 51 | 81 | 1774 | Peter Konrad Peill and Helene Kath. Van Hees | - |
| 52 | 105 | 07/19/1788 | Dr. med. Peter Konrad Peill, Marie Wilh. Elisabeth Peltzer, Mecht. Marg. Schleicher | - |
| 53 | 112 | 06/02/1783 | Laurenz Wilhelm von Asten and Maria Marg. Schleicher | - |
| 54 | 108 | 11/28/1783 | Isaac Peltzer and Helene Marg. Schleicher | - |
| 55 | 109 | 01/18/1785 | Anna Kath. Schleicher and Johann Peltzer | - |
| 56 | 87 | 04/05/1788 | Leonhard Schleicher and Gertrud Wend. Lynen | - |
| 57 | 45 | 06/01/1791 | Isaac Lynen and Sib. Gertrud von Asten | - |
| 58 | 83 | 03/19/1791 | Anna Maria Mewis and Matthias Schleicher | - |
| 59 | 82 | 06/13/1792 | Wilhelm Schleicher and Anna Mecht. Sneak | - |
| 60 | 88 | 04/10/1793 | Matthias Peltzer and Anna Maria Peltzer | - |
| 61 | 100 | 05/13/1795 | Laurenz Ferdinand Lynen and Gertrud Prym | - |
| 62 | 103 | 10/15/1798 | Pastors Denhard and Ida Gertrud Schleicher | - |
| 63 | 115 | 10/12/1800 | Laurenz Lynen son | - |
| 64 | 84 | 04/18/1803 | Mechthildis Marg. Schleicher born. from Asten | - |
| 65 | 118 | 1804 | Wilhelm Schleicher and Anna Mecht. Sneak | - |
| 66 | 119 | 04/10/1793 | Matthias Lynen and Marg. Peltzer | - |
| 67 | 60 | 04/12/1809 | Henriette Prym and Johann von Asten and Mecht. Elisabeth Lynen | - |
| 68 | 99 | 1811 | Isaac Lynen Laurenz and Mecht. Elisabeth Schleicher | - |
| 69 | 106 | 1811 | Maria Mecht. Schleicher and Christian Prym | - |
| 70 | 95 | 09/27/1812 | Leonhard Lynen | - |
Web links
- Finkenberg Church
- First the company, then the family (PDF file; 72 kB)
literature
- Helmut Schreiber (Ed.): Stolberger Burgherren and Burgfrauen 1118 - 1909. Contributions to the Stolberg history, volume 25. Burg Verlag Gastinger 2001, ISBN 3-926830-16-6
- Hans-Joachim Ramm (editor): Mills, hammer mills and copper yards in the Vicht Valley and their owners (= contributions to the history of Stolberg, Volume 23), Stolberg 1998, ISBN 3-926830-12-3
Coordinates: 50 ° 45 ′ 56.9 ″ N , 6 ° 14 ′ 3.9 ″ E