Palatinate Pöhlde

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Ground plan of the monastery and the Palatinate, red: today's church

The Palatinate Pöhlde was a medieval royal palace in Pöhlde in Lower Saxony , which existed as a palatinate monastery together with a monastery . The remains of the complex are in today's center of the village on the site of the church built in 1668. Excavations in the 1960s and 1970s uncovered the foundations of the palace and monastery. The Palatinate gained further importance because it was often visited by German kings at Christmas and was counted among the Christmas palaces. It was conveniently located at the intersection of important long-distance routes, including the Fastweg over the nearby Rotenberg .

Excavations

Between 1964 and 1974, archaeological investigations and excavations were carried out on an area of ​​1700 m² next to today's church and in the garden of the rectory . The foundation walls of the Palatinate complex with the remains of furnace systems and cellars were exposed. The complex included at least twelve buildings, the walls of which partly overlap and overlap, which suggests several construction phases. There are also differences in construction techniques and materials, such as the use of plaster of paris and clay. Especially the lowest and oldest components were as dry stone walls in Opus spicatum running technique. The largest building was a hall measuring 9.5 × 22 meters, the function of which was apparently representative. The building complex of the Palatinate was delimited in the north by a ditch and in the south by a 1 meter thick wall using Opus spicatum technology. The wall foundations uncovered during the excavations, which were still up to 80 cm high, were covered with soil again after the work for protection. The foundations of the former cloister of the monastery are now represented by stone slabs in the lawn. Cultural layers with traces of an older settlement phase were found under the walls. The excavated ceramic and metal finds can be classified in the period of the 2nd to 4th century, which suggests the existence of a Germanic settlement in Pöhlde.

history

Today's church on the foundation walls of the Palatinate Monastery in Pöhlde, the foundations of the former cloister made visible in the foreground

The Palatinate Pöhlde is one of the five Palatinate plants in today's Lower Saxony ( Werla , Goslar , Dahlum , Grona ). It was at the crossroads of major traffic routes. While the Fastweg ran in an east-west direction and crossed the Rotenberg, two traffic routes cut it from north to south.

The Palatinate arose from an estate belonging to the Liudolfinger family , which Mathilde the Holy had received from her husband Heinrich I in 927 . After his death, she asked her son Otto I to convert the estate into a canons' monastery. On May 16, 952, King Otto I signed a document stating that the monastery to be built should be built next to the Palatinate as a monk's abbey. It was settled by Benedictines . The palace and monastery buildings were located around today's church and in the parish garden. There was a connecting passage between the Palatinate and the monastery church. The Palatinate was often visited by the subsequent emperors, especially Heinrich II . 27 visits are documented in writing. Because these took place particularly often at Christmas, the Palatinate Pöhlde was given the name "Christmas Palatinate". Ekkehard I , Margrave of Meißen and Duke of Thuringia, was murdered on April 30, 1002 by Siegfried II, Benno von Northeim and Heinrich II. Von Liesgau and Udo von Katlenburg in the Palatinate of Pöhlde because he was claiming the German throne . Antipope Gregory VI. visited Heinrich II in the Palatinate Pöhlde at Christmas 1012 to get his recognition.

The monastery church of the Pfalzstift suffered destruction in the Peasants' War in 1525 and then lost its importance. Today's church was built on its foundation walls in 1668.

Relationship to Wallburg Pöhlde

The precise relationship between the palace complex and the Wallburg Pöhlde on Fastweg on the Rotenberg, about 500 meters away, is not known. According to legend, Heinrich der Vogler is said to have received the news at Wallburg Pöhlde in 919 that he was the first Saxon to be elected King of Eastern France. Therefore, the fortification was named as "King Heinrichs Vogelherd ". According to archaeological studies, it was a sporadically sought refuge and not a permanent mansion. The reliefs of ravines from the castle down to Pöhlde can still be seen in the area today.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ RI II, 1 n.211 , in: Regesta Imperii Online (accessed September 8, 2017)

Coordinates: 51 ° 36 ′ 48.5 ″  N , 10 ° 18 ′ 32.7 ″  E