Marienkirche Suhlendorf
The Marienkirche in Suhlendorf in the Uelzen district belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran regional church of Hanover . According to tradition, the predecessor of today's church went back to a defensive tower built in the 11th century from field stone masonry, which was converted into a church in 1086.
Location and surroundings
The Marienkirche is in the district of Suhlendorf and is located between the market square and the bus stop. It is surrounded by houses and trees. The parish hall of the church stands on the paved church square directly opposite the church.
Previous building: fortified church
The history of church construction in Suhlendorf began with a massive defensive tower, which was probably not built in 930, as is often claimed in the local literature, but probably dates from the 11th century, as it was only at this time that the massive masonry found its way into castle construction . This defense tower was originally probably a small castle, which was administered by a castle bailiff or a low-nobility family and used as a residential tower . It is very likely that this massive residential tower was built within a Saxon ring wall , which Heinrich I had erected in the various border areas of his empire to protect against attacks by the Hungarians, who roamed and plundered the whole country as small but highly mobile horsemen. This assumption is obvious, as the old core town was surrounded by a moat, as a drawing by the local history researcher Adolf Bätge shows. The defense tower in Suhlendorf was located in the immediate border area to the Slavs ( Wendland ), in which there were also attacks and raids again and again. Here, the massive defense tower was not only a defense structure, but also a symbol of power for the Saxon rulers against the Slavic tribes.
After the pacification of the border area near Suhlendorf, the tower made of field stone masonry was converted into a church in the course of Christianization in 1086. At the same time, the roof was probably also renewed and the spire was given a weather vane with the year 1086 as a sign and documentation of the taking possession. The Suhlendorf defense tower had a usable area of 68 m² and was initially used for holding church services after the introduction of Christianity, so the church service could be held regardless of the weather. Due to the development over several centuries, an expansion was necessary around the 14th or 15th century. With a wall opening on the east side of the tower, the addition of a nave and the further use of the tower room, the church was able to hold the church services for a longer period of time. The medieval building was demolished at the end of the 19th century due to lack of space and allegedly serious structural damage.
Marienkirche: The peasant cathedral
The Marienkirche, which was built in the spring of 1903, is a red brick building facing east, which was built according to the plans of the architect and church builder Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Jacob and can be assigned to the Hanover School of Architecture . The style elements of the Suhlendorfer Marienkirche represent the high point of neo-Gothic architecture in the district of Uelzen. Jacob was a student and close collaborator of the architect and university professor Conrad Wilhelm Hase . Despite the overall size of the building, Jacob managed to create a slim and extremely elegant structure. With its approximately 8,300 cubic meter structure, the Suhlendorfer Marienkirche is by far the largest church building in the district outside the city of Uelzen, apart from the monastery churches in Ebstorf, Medingen and Oldenstadt, which occupy a special position. Because of this extraordinary size for a village church, the vernacular also spoke of the "Suhlendorfer Bauerndorf" early on. The whole congregation helped with the new construction of the church and thus contributed significantly to the success of the work. It is astonishing that the church could be completed in less than two years and without an accident, without a crane and elevator, with an enormous amount of work. The inauguration of today's church took place on October 22, 1905. Particularly noteworthy is the design of the slim tower, which with the weather vane reaches a height of around 56 meters, making it the second highest church tower in the Uelzen district and only clearly towering above the tower of St. Mary's Church in Uelzen (86 meters) becomes. An arched frieze made of shaped stones can be found under the eaves of the nave .
Interior construction
A total of four entrances are available to allow around 1000 people, including standing room, to quickly enter and exit the Marienkirche. The main entrance is on the west side. The nave is equipped with a circumferential gallery on the west, north and south sides. On the altar there is a reredos with a large figure of Christ holding hands outstretched in blessing. The Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen made the original for the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen in 1839.
In the interior, the large chancel windows and the numerous windows in the narrow aisle on the south side illuminate the Marienkirche with appropriate daylight. The windows of St. Mary's Church show various stories from the Bible. The birth of Jesus can be seen in the left window, with Joseph, Marie and the three holy kings standing around him. In the middle window you can see the crucifixion of Jesus, with his brothers, parents and relatives standing around him. The resurrection of Jesus is represented on the right window. Behind him, an angel spreads his wings while his fellow human beings throw themselves back in fear.
organ
The parish of Suhlendorf has owned its organ in its church from the Emil Hammer company since 1959 , which comprises 24 registers on 2 manuals and a pedal. It is located above the main entrance on the south side of the church. Their arrangement and overview of the individual timbres is based on baroque models, as was desired at the time this organ was built. In 2006, the building company received the order, in addition to cleaning and technical overhaul of the organ, to realign it in its intonation. By carefully re-intonating the existing pipes, the previously very overtone, pointed sound of the instrument was changed so that the overall sound became rounder, more stable and warmer. The wind pressure has also been increased and the points that are important for the sound have been changed on the pipes. This intonation work affected every single pipe and was therefore very time-consuming.
Organ data
| Main work | pedal | Breastwork |
|---|---|---|
| Quintadena 16 ',
Principal 8 ', Pointed 8 ', Octave 4 ', Wooden flute 4 ', Fifth 2 2/3 ', Octave 2 ', Mixture 4-5 f., Trumpet 8 ' |
Subbass 16´,
Principal 8 ', Gedackt 8 ', Octave 4 ', Night horn 2 ', Mixture 3 f., Trumpet 16 ', Trumpet 8 ', |
Gedackt 8 ',
Gedackflute 4 ', Forest flute 2 ', Sesquialtera 2 f., Octave 1 ', Sharp 3-4 f., Mixture 4 f., Krummhorn 8 ', |
Parish office secretary
- 1962–1966 Werner Klipp
- 1966–2011 Karin Garz
- since 2001 Petra Meyer
Pastors
- 1941–1960 Dr. Peter Oelkers
- 1961–1975 Ulrich Meyer
- 1967–1987 Horst Mantzel
- 1988–1997 Ewald Grossmann
- 1998–2004 Pastor Petra Horn
- 2004 Pastor Stephan Schmid (interim time)
- 2005–2015 Pastor Hagen Günter
- since 2015 Stefanie Arnheim
church service
The church is used for regular services on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.
Trumpet Choir
The Suhlendorf trombone choir is older than the church, which is over a hundred years old. On November 24, 1895, Pastor Hansen, the association agent Sauer and the following members met in the rectory, which was then still in Növenthien: Heinrich Behn, Güstau; Adolf Binder, Növenthien; Hermann Bunge, Növenthien; Friedrich Bersiel, Wellendorf; Friedrich Clabüsch, Groß Ellenberg; Heinrich Corvey, Bockholt; Heinrich Dierks, Wellendorf; Friedrich Dierks, Wellendorf; Heinrich Dickhut, Növenthien; Heinrich Bottle, Növenthien; Heinrich Fauteck, Növenthien; Johann Hameister, Növenthien; Friedrich Koopmann, Batensen; Heinrich Meyer, Növenthien; Hermann Mautz, Kölau; Heinrich Kahlstorf, Növenthien; Friedrich Peters, Groß Ellenberg; Friedrich Schulze, Nestau; Friedrich Stutmann, Güstau; Heinrich Thiemann, Növenthien; and Heinrich Ellenberg, Güstau. After almost a year, the trombone choir already had 54 chorals, 4 motets, 7 marches, 8 spiritual songs and 2 folk songs in its repertoire. The trumpet work emerged from the so-called youth association, which actually had the task of getting male youths on the right path through social, educational and educational activities in their free time, preferably on Sunday, the only really free day of the week. Nothing can be found in the files about the female youth, the hard-working and good wind players are only named after the Second World War. There was strict order and discipline in the club. Great care was taken to ensure that the members regularly took part in the numerous outreaches in the service and in the practice evenings. Even the great willingness to sacrifice time is still there today. In 1994 alone, the trumpet choir participated in 18 church services and 18 serenades, plus 35 practice evenings, it also took part in 7 celebrations and carolers and held an annual meeting. It is an extraordinary expenditure of time for our time that has to be spent here alongside the job. The trumpet choir survived the difficult times during and after the two wars, even though painful sacrifices had to be lamented, as the files show. After the Second World War there were partnership relationships with the parishes and trumpet choirs in Altenhof and Beerwalde in Saxony and in Packebusch in Altmark, which are still maintained today. The first circle trombone festival in Suhlendorf was in 1908, when the trombone choir had existed for 13 years and the new church was 3 years old. For the 100th anniversary, the circle trombone festival took place on May 25, 1995 in Suhlendorf. In the morning there was a service and carosing. After lunch together, the ceremony with around 200 wind players and 300 guests took place in the Saatbauhalle at 2:30 p.m. It was an uplifting celebration that everyone will remember fondly.
The choirmaster; 1895–1897 Friedrich Deyer, 1897–1923 August Kollweyh, 1923–1929 Willhelm Kohlmeyer, 1929–1944 Willi Königkrämer, 1945–1948 Herbert Wolff, 1948–1966 Werner Klipp (later also pastor), 1966–1973 Paul-Jürgen Brodersen ( Deacon), 1973-present Erich Garz.
Musical circle
Mrs. Irmgard Mantzel founded a flute and guitar group with commitment in 1976 and a singing and instrumental group in 1985. The appearances take place at church services and other events and have been an enrichment for them for 30 years.
Parish hall
The former sexton and school house was built in 1851. It has a size of 24 × 13 m = 312 m² and was divided into a school area with a classroom and a small hallway and a living and stable part. The stable part of the house was probably converted into living space before the First World War, which is now known as the Confirmation Hall. In 1925 the school in the Küsterhaus was discontinued when the new Hindenburg School was built. Under the direction of Pastor Meyer, the sexton's house was converted into a parish hall with a youth home, including overnight accommodation, for 25 young people and used for many years. In 1997 the parish hall was rebuilt according to plans by architect Hans-Heinrich Weichsel. The community hall now has 82 m² and the foyer 43 m², so that 125 m² of usable space is available for events. The ground floor is 252 m² and the top floor is 183 m². This means that the parish hall has a total of 435 m² of usable space.
Web links
- Community of Suhlendorf: Information on the Marienkirche Suhlendorf
- Church district Uelzen: Information about the Marienkirche Suhlendorf
bibliography
- Axel Fischer: Queen of Instruments , in: The organ of the Marienkirche Suhlendorf
- Municipality of Suhlendorf: Suhlendorf - A Chronicle
- Christian Wiechel-Kramüller: Churches, monasteries and chapels in the district of Uelzen , Wiekra Edition, 2015, ISBN 9783940189141
Coordinates: 52 ° 55 ′ 36.1 ″ N , 10 ° 46 ′ 12.3 ″ E
Individual evidence
- ^ Village renewal in Suhlendorf. In: A. Pesel planning office. Retrieved August 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Christian Wiechel-Kramüller: churches, monasteries and chapels in the district of Uelzen . WIEKRA Edition, Bahn-Media Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Suhlendorf 2015, ISBN 978-3-940189-14-1 , p. 161 .
- ^ Reinhard Glaß: Architects and artists with direct reference to Conrad Wilhelm Hase (1818-1902). Retrieved August 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Christian Wiechel-Kramüller: churches, monasteries and chapels in the district of Uelzen . WIEKRA Edition, Bahn-Media Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Suhlendorf 2015, ISBN 978-3-940189-14-1 , p. 154 .