Mainz Castle

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The Mainz Castle

The Mainz Castle is in the town of Heilbad Heiligenstadt in the Eichsfeld district in Thuringia .

location

Mainz Castle is located on the Stiftsberg, a small elevation on the western edge of the historic city center of Heiligenstadt, which has belonged to the Electorate of Mainz since 1022 and was administered from Rusteberg Castle for a long time . The square in front of the castle is today's Friedensplatz. Neighboring sights are the church of St. Martin and the mountain monastery.

history

Location of the Oberamt (11) and the Laurentius Chapel (2) on the Stiftsberg
Coat of arms of Mainz-Elector Archbishop Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich (1665–1743)

When the Oberamt was moved from Rusteberg to Heiligenstadt in 1540 , the Oberamtmen and the administration first lived and worked in a part of the Stiftskuria , later in the Stiftskorn- und Stiftsbrauhaus. Under the Elector Johann Schweikhard von Kronberg , the building was demolished in 1603 and a new archbishop's court, the Oberamtshaus with further farm buildings and the Laurentius Chapel were built at the same location . Parts of the farm buildings are still present behind the castle, a stone plaque on the "Alte Sparkasse" commemorates the client Johann Schweikhard.

After the Oberamtmann Johann Eberhard von Leyen died and the Elector Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich appointed his nephew Hugo Franz Carl von und zu Eltz-Kempenich as a representative of the Mainz Electors, he converted the Oberamt into a Lieutenancy . Since the premises were no longer sufficient for the increasingly extensive tasks, the old upper office building and some of the monastery's curiae were demolished. From 1736 to 1738 the elector Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich had the castle built as the residence of the archbishop's governor by the master builder Christoph Heinemann from Dingelstadt. The Laurentius Chapel was also torn down and integrated into the new palace.

As early as 1739, it survived a devastating city fire. The elector-occupied as the principal residence of the Electoral Palace in Mainz and as a secondary residence, the Aschaffenburg Castle and during their visits to Erfurt Kurmainzische governor's office . The castle was the seat of the electoral government , the higher regional court of Heiligenstadt and, briefly, the episcopal commissioner of Eichsfeld .

The portal with a star gate, two balconies, an ornate round gable with the coat of arms of the governor von Eltz, the oak-carved staircase and stucco work in the stairwell and other rooms are special structural features of the building. Elector Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal (* 1719; † 1802) was the last sovereign to stay here (1777, 1792 and 1796).

During the time of the Kingdom of Westphalia , the Mainz Castle was the seat of the Chief Prefect of the Harz Department . After the kingdom of Prussia finally took possession of the area , it became the administrative seat of the district of Heiligenstadt . This is where Theodor Storm had his office during his time as a district judge in Heiligenstadt. With the district reform in the GDR , it became the seat of the council of the Heiligenstadt district .

Today the building is the seat of the District Office of the Eichsfeld district.

Building description

The palace complex consists of 4 parts: the main building, a side wing, the former farm buildings of the Upper Office and the former savings bank, which was built in the 19th century. The baroque building was built with sandstone blocks. The main facade above the main portal has two balconies and a round gable with the coat of arms of Elector Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich. The Laurentius Chapel in the main building was refurbished and was accessible from the outside. The castle complex on the Stiftsberg is surrounded by a high wall towards the lower urban area.

  • Main portal on Friedensplatz

  • Preserved buildings of the former Oberamt

  • Chapel in the Mainz Castle

  • The old savings bank

  • Castle wall at Knickhagen

Administrative authorities

Leopold von Stralendorff was Kurmainz Oberamtmann in Heiligenstadt for 25 years

With the establishment of the St. Martin-Stift and the archdeaconate of Heiligenstadt around the year 900, a church administrative authority was located on the Stiftsberg. With the relocation of the Kurmainzisches Oberamt from Rusteberg to Stiftsberg, there is still a continuous authority structure for the Eichsfeld and partly beyond.

Kurmainzisches Oberamt

Hugo Franz Carl von und zu Eltz-Kempenich worked as governor in Mainz Castle

In 1540 the upper office and the regional court were moved to Heiligenstadt. It was located in the previous buildings of the castle, some of which have been preserved in the rear part of the castle. The Oberamtmann was the deputy of the Elector of Mainz for the Eichsfeld and neighboring areas, such as the Ganerbschaft Treffurt . The following senior officials are proven:

  • 1540–1554 Philip of Habsburg
  • 1544–1550 Melchior von Graenrode
  • 1550–1554 Johann Andreas Mosbach von Lindenfels
  • 1554–1557 Jost von Hardenberg
  • 1557–1566 Oiger Brendel von Homburg
  • 1566–1574 Kaspar von Berlepsch
  • 1574–1599 Leopold von Stralendorf
  • 1602–1604 Wilhelm von Harstall
  • 1605–1616 Sebastian von Hatzfeld
  • 1616–1622 Wilhelm Friedrich von Daum
  • 1623–1635 Friedrich von Westphal
  • 1635–1644 Heinrich Christoph von Griesheim
  • 1644–1654 Johann Eberhard zu Eltz
  • 1655–1687 Kaspar Philipp von Bicken
  • 1687–1732 Johann Eberhard von der Leyen

Electoral Mainz governors

The Elector Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich converted the Electoral Mainz Oberamt in Heiligenstadt into a Lieutenancy of the Eichsfeld State . The newly built castle became the seat of the following governors:

See also the list of vice domes, senior officials and governors of the Mainz possessions on the Eichsfeld

Prussian War and Domain Chamber

After the Eichsfeld was occupied by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1802, the Kurmainzische administration was dissolved and a civil commission was initially set up. Heiligenstadt was then temporarily the seat of the Eichsfeld-Erfurt War and Domain Chamber (1803-1806 and 1813-1816). A Lutheran State Consistory in Heiligenstadt was created for Protestant religious affairs, responsible for Eichsfeld and the areas of Nordhausen, Mühlhausen and Erfurt with a newly appointed general superintendent at the head.

  • 1802 Judge of the Ludendorf Chamber of Justice
  • 1803-1806? Samuel Gottfried Borsche , director of Prussia. Eichsfeldisch-Erfurter War and Domain Chamber in Heiligenstadt and Christian Wilhelm von Dohm as Chamber President
  • 1802–1806 Anton von Bodungen, District Administrator of the Upper District (Heiligenstadt)

Chief Prefect of the Harz Department

After Napoleon's victory at Jena and Auerstedt in October 1806, the Eichsfeld came to the Kingdom of Westphalia, and Heiligenstadt became the capital of the Harz Department and the Heiligenstadt district with the seat of the Royal Prefecture.

District administrators of the Prussian district of Heiligenstadt

After the Eichsfeld was again taken into possession by the Kingdom of Prussia, the castle was the seat of the district administration of Heiligenstadt, initially as the district of Obereichsfeld , then renamed the district of Heiligenstadt and in 1939 the district of Heiligenstadt . The following district administrators are known:

  • 1813–1816 Anton von Bodungen (District Administrator of the Upper District)
  • 1816–1841 Anton von Bodungen (1761–1850) (Heiligenstadt district)
  • 1841–1850 Friedrich Ernst von Hanstein-Ershausen on Bornhagen
  • 1850–1857 Friedrich von Hanstein on Bornhagen-Unterhof
  • 1857–1864 Alexander von Wussow (1820–1889)
  • 1864–1904 Sittig von Hanstein
  • 1904–1938 Fritz von Christians
  • 1938–1941 Hermann Marggraf
  • 1941–1943 Albert Leiterer (acting)
  • 1943–1945 Carl Wilhelm Renken (acting)

District administrations after 1945

When the state of Thuringia was divided into districts in 1945, the previous districts of Heiligenstadt and Worbis were merged to form the district of Eichsfeld . In 1946 the name of the district was changed to the district of Worbis (based in Heiligenstadt) . With the reorganization of the administration in the GDR in 1952 , the district of Heiligenstadt was created and the palace became the seat of the chairman of the district council . In 1990 it became the seat of the district administrator of Heiligenstadt and in 1994 of the district of Eichsfeld .

  • District administrators in Eichsfeld and Worbis:
  • Chairwoman of the council of the district of Heiligenstadt:
    • until 1989 Bernhard Horstmann
    • 1989–1990 Werner Henning (from December 7, 1989)
  • District administrators of the district of Heiligenstadt:
    • 1990–1994 Werner Henning
  • District administrators of the Eichsfeld district:
    • 1994 – today Werner Henning

literature

  • Josef Keppler: The Heiligenstadt Castle. Published by the Eichsfeld district, printed by Cordier Heiligenstadt, 3rd edition 1997
  • Eckard Büttner: The Heiligenstadt Castle. Residence of the governor in Eichsfeld, Kurmanz. In: Heimat Thüringen 7 (2000), ed. from Heimatbund Thuringia, ISSN 0946-4697, pp. 16-17
  • Raban Graf von Westphalen: The Heiligenstädter Castle and the last Mainz electors. A contribution to the Electoral Mainz construction industry. In: Eichsfelder Heimatzeitschrift. Vol. 61, No. 10, pages 293-301

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Josef Keppler: The Heiligenstadt Castle. Ed. District of Eichsfeld, printed by Cordier Heiligenstadt, 3rd edition 1997, page 3
  2. ↑ Kurmainzer Castle / District Office Eichsfeld. In: Travel Topics. Thüringer Tourismus GmbH, accessed on September 15, 2015 (commercial website).
  3. ↑ Bernhard Sacrifice man : shaping the calibration field. St. Benno-Verlag Leipzig and Verlag FW Cordier Heiligenstadt 1968
  4. ↑ a b c Bernhard sacrifice man: shaping the calibration field. St. Benno-Verlag Leipzig and Verlag FW Cordier Heiligenstadt 1968
  5. ↑ Lutheran Consistory in Heiligenstadt in the State Archives, Saxony-Anhalt
  6. ↑ Josef Keppler: The Heiligenstadt Castle. Edited by the Eichsfeld district, printed by Cordier Heiligenstadt, 3rd edition 1997, page 9
  7. ↑ Prefects of the Harz Department quellenblog-suedharz
  8. ↑ Prefects of the Harz Department on quellenblog-suedharz
  9. ↑ Prefects of the Harz Department on quellenblog-suedharz
  10. ↑ Josef Keppler: The Heiligenstadt Castle. Ed. District of Eichsfeld, printed by Cordier Heiligenstadt, 3rd edition 1997, page 10

Web links

Commons : Mainz Castle  - Collection of Images
  • Entry on Mainz Castle in the private database "Alle Burgen".

Coordinates: 51 ° 22 ′ 41 ″  N , 10 ° 7 ′ 55.3 ″  E