Leisenberg (desert)
Leisenberg is a desert in the Northeim district . A church ruin and a fountain still remind of the desert in the municipality of Katlenburg-Lindau . The remains of the desert, which were exposed to weathering for a long time, were extensively restored in the 1980s.
In some publications, the deserted Leisenberg is also known under the name Leisenrode, so that it can be confused with the town of Leisenrode near Hardegsen, which was also deserted . However, the documentary evidence cited in more recent literature always has -berg as the basic word .
Location and characteristics of the desert
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The desert is located in the state forest of Katlenburg Dept. 28 at a source at a height of about 250 m above sea level . It is located about 1.5 km east of Sudershausen and 3.5 km west-southwest of Gillersheim .
A few meters from the church ruins there is an old village well, the superstructure of which has been bricked up again and given a roof. Earlier house platforms can still be seen today. The area in which the desert is located is now wooded and represents a vaulted baker's corridor . The former place probably covered an area of 6.5 hectares.
From old documents shows that the village about six full yards and 13 Kothöfe belonged, with a Vollhof about 20 ha and a Kothof had about 10 hectares to till.
The walls of the church ruin are made of red sandstone . From the long sides only the foundation walls and low wall remnants remain. The previous roof was covered with tiles , the previously existing bell tower was probably covered with slate according to excavations .
History of the Leisenberg desert
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The first documentary mention of the village of Leisenberg can be dated to the year 1281. In a document dated May 6, 1281, the provost Johann of the Katlenburg monastery reported that he had acquired a village called "lesenberg "for the purpose of rebuilding. Neither document nor archaeological knowledge is otherwise available about the previous village, which at that time had apparently fallen into desolation. The planned reconstruction can be documented with a document from 1309: In it the provost, prioress and convent of the Katlenburg monastery report that they have built a chapel in the newly built village. This was consecrated to the Evangelist John and was also raised in this document from a chapel to the parish church.
In 1323 the dukes of Brunswick sold some villages to Bishop Otto von Hildesheim, Leisenberg was one of them. For the year 1439 it can be stated that the Katlenburg convent improved the income of the Leisenberg pastor.
In 1449 the last mention of Leisenberg as an existing place takes place. For the time after 1460 the place became desolate, from the property registers of the Katlenburg Abbey it is evident that Leisenberg was desolate around 1513. Probably some of the residents moved to the larger and better fortified Gillersheim, which also belonged to the Katlenburg monastery and mostly had better soil for agriculture, but several new citizens from Göttingen and Northeim who named themselves after Leisenberg have also been handed down from the 14th century . Despite the abandonment of the village, the church was still occupied in 1519/20, as corresponding entries in the subsidy register show, and it was not until 1618 that the bells, an iron-studded box and a chalice were removed from the church.
The ruins and other remnants of the former village were preserved for the following centuries. In the 20th century, the ruins of the church finally threatened to be abandoned to decay due to the hands of children and the weather. For this reason, scientists set out in the mid-1970s to draw up an inventory of the Leisenberg desert. On this excursion important knowledge about the condition of the church ruins and the town itself could be gained.
The restoration work on the church ruin began in May 1984. The work was brought to a close on December 8th of the same year with a celebration with great sympathy from the people of Gillersheim.
Dealing with the church ruins today
Today the church ruin is a popular excursion destination on the Solling-Harz-Querweg , the surroundings with some benches and a fireplace invite you to linger.
It is particularly noteworthy that the church is still used in its original function on some days of the year: weddings sometimes take place there and a service is held in the ruin on Whit Monday .
Say about the church ruins
The Leisenberg desert is located in an area that is rich in old legends and stories. There is also a legend about the church ruins.
She is concerned with the question of how it was possible that the remains of the desert could outlast the centuries. The legend says that a farmer wanted to build a new house. However, since he wanted to get the material for it cheaply, he went to the Leisenberg church to remove stones from there. He had ridden there on his horse and did what he set out to do. Shortly after he began to break out the stones, there was a terrible noise and thunder rose. The farmer, who was very frightened, stormed out of the church, got on his horse and rode away as fast as he could. When he looked around, he saw that he was being followed by a huge figure armed with a battle ax on white horses. When he got to his house, he fled in and bolted the door. The figure punched an opening in the wall with his ax that could never be closed.
(Based on: Christian Mecke, Sunken Treasures of the Eichsfeldes - The most beautiful old legends )
Individual evidence
- ↑ So in the location description of Sudershausen on the website of the Fleckens Nörten-Hardenberg: Sudershausen , accessed on September 20, 2015, and in the street name "Leisenröder Straße" in Sudershausen
- ^ Kirstin Casemir, Franziska Menzel, Uwe Ohainski: The place names of the district of Northeim . In: Jürgen Udolph (Hrsg.): Lower Saxony Place Name Book (NOB) . Part V. Publishing house for regional history, Bielefeld 2005, ISBN 3-89534-607-1 , p. 241 .
- ↑ a b c Erhard Kühlhorn: The medieval desolations in southern Lower Saxony . tape 2 . F-N. Publishing house for regional history, Bielefeld 1994, ISBN 3-89534-132-0 , p. 356-371 .
literature
- Gerhard Kreitz, Ernst Macke a. a .: Chronicle of the village of Gillersheim . Publishing house Dr. Peter Wagener, Mannheim 1993, ISBN 3-910085-06-7 .
- Christian Mecke: Sunken treasures of the Eichsfeld. The most beautiful old sagas . Verlag Mecke Druck, Duderstadt 1991, ISBN 3-923453-35-3 .
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 37 ′ 46 ″ N , 10 ° 2 ′ 41 ″ E