Heisdorf Castle
Heisdorf Castle ( lux . : Schlass zu Heeschdref ; French : Château de Heisdorf ) is a former stately home in the Heisdorf district of the Steinsel municipality in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg .
history
Around 1000 there was said to have been a defensive tower near today's castle , the ruins of which were visible until 2006. This defense tower is said to have been expanded into a moated castle and later into a palace. In 1314 a Heinrich von Stein or de Lapide was first mentioned in a document as Lord von Heisdorf and castle owner.
The owners of today's property changed several times over the centuries. In 1639 it was acquired by Johann von Beck (French: Jean de Beck), governor of Luxembourg, from the descendants of the medieval lords. He moved the highest jurisdiction to Heisdorf, where it remained until the time of the French Revolution . The castle he built was completed in 1645, destroyed in 1681 and rebuilt in 1685.
François and Philippe de Marchant ( ironworks owners in Dommeldingen ) bought the property in 1711. In the creation of a land cadastre ordered by Empress Maria Theresia of Austria in 1766, it was recorded that the castle was in disrepair and was only inhabited by one administrator. In 1778 the property was acquired by the Alsatian families Mohr de Waldt and de Reinach . In 1878 the heirs sold the property to the banker Léon Lippmann and his wife Lina Nathan. After the death of Léon Lippmann (1883), Nina Lippmann-Nathan had the building demolished by Johann von Beck and replaced by the current castle by 1888. In 1910 the mill owner and deputy Anton Erpelding (French: Antoine Erpelding) acquired the castle and sold it back to the Sisters of Christian Teaching from Nancy in 1916 . They converted the castle into a dormitory for sick sisters and those in need of relaxation.
A chapel was added to the castle in 1924/1925, and another extension followed in 1928 (plans by the architect Deitz, the extension was demolished in 2001).
When the main street was widened in 1930, the existing defensive wall had to be demolished and rebuilt three meters away.
The Sisters of the Christian Doctrine of Nancy (lux .: Schwëstere vun der Doctrine chrétienne ; French: Sœurs de la Doctrine Chrétienne de Nancy , abbr .: DC) were able to prevent an evacuation by the German occupying forces during the Second World War . The castle was subsequently renovated and converted into an old people's home.
In 1980 the castle was renovated.
In 1982 the house Marie-Consolatrice with 45 rooms (this is also where the central kitchen, French cuisine centrale du Parc is located ) was built, in 1994 the house Regina Pacis with 37 rooms was built next to Rue de Mullendorf (at the main entrance) the Emile Kunsch Pavilion ). In 1996 the house was expanded to include a home for the physically and mentally handicapped ( Foyer du Tricentenaire , also: House Nico Kremer ).
In 2007 the castle was renovated again and the new wing, built in a modern style, was opened on the site of the Deitz building section that was demolished in 2001 ( Hermann & Valentiny architects ).
location
The castle in Heisdorf as well as the park and the nearby cemetery of the Sisters of Christian Doctrine are located on the main road (N7 / E421) in the Alzette valley in the Steinsel municipality in the canton of Luxembourg.
Property and use
Castle by Johann von Beck
When Johann von Beck bought the property in 1639, he had a new castle built, which was completed in 1645. A palace complex is said to have been located on the square property, surrounded by a defensive wall and a tower at each corner. On the side of the Alzette was the tower from the Middle Ages with an area of 19 × 14 m. There was a moat around the tower.
Johann von Beck's castle consisted of three wings. The castle was destroyed by French invasion troops in 1681 and rebuilt in 1685.
Today's property and use
The castle and park have been owned by the Sisters of Christian Doctrine since 1916 . The property, together with the outbuildings, is used as a nursing home for the sisters of the congregation and also for the public. The other property surrounding the castle, Park Heisdorf (French: Parc de Heisdorf ), was used as an orchard and livestock by the Sisters of Christian Teaching at the beginning of the 20th century, and is also open to the public today.
building
The main building, the castle, is built in the late French Renaissance style (Rambouillet style, see: Rambouillet Castle ) according to the plans of the Belgian architect Charles Thirion . The walls of the new castle were largely built on the foundations of the castle by Johann von Beck from the 17th century.
This existing architecture was more or less taken over by the later additions or more or less successful attempts were made to take them into account.
The lock consists of two leaves at right angles to each other. The main entrance is in the middle of the building, in the square tower that connects the two wings.
At one end of the wing, facing the Alzette , there is a round tower with a roof in the form of a dome, over which there is a spire. The knight's hall is located in this tower. From the outside, a monumental presentation staircase leads to the first floor of the tower.
Above the main entrance are the dates 1645 and 1888. In 1888, today's castle was built, which replaced the castle that was temporarily destroyed by Jean de Beck in 1645.
Attached buildings
Two other buildings are directly connected to the castle, the Regina-Pacis house, which is connected to the castle by a covered bridge. The Regina-Pacis house was opened in 1992, the plans come from the architect Michel Mousel. In a very modern style, another wing was built on the other side (towards the town of Walferdingen ). This wing was completed in 2007, the plans come from the architects Hermann & Valentiny .
Along the Mëllereferstrooss there is a farm building from the early 19th century that contains three portals from the previous Jean de Becks castle. One portal bears the coat of arms of Jean de Beck and his wife Catherine de Capelle from 1645 (this is the year the castle was completed by Jean de Beck).
chapel
The chapel was only built in 1924/1925 by the Sisters of Christian Doctrine according to the plans of the Metz architects Kölling and Schlass . On May 1, 1925, Bishop Pierre Nommesch held the first mass in the chapel. The chapel was renovated in 2005/2006.
Artistically valuable are:
- The representation of a crucified Jesus made of wood; The sculpture is believed to have come from a workshop in Lorraine . The work was brought to Heisdorf in 1983 from the mother house of the Nancy Congregation ;
- Stations of the Cross (lux .: Kräizstatiounen ) from email from the Schwarzmann company from Trier ;
- blue glass window by Gustav Zanter.
Buildings in the park
There are three separate buildings in the castle park that are used for social purposes:
- the Marie Consolatrice house (built in 1982, a retirement home);
- the house Nico Kremer , also called Foyer du Tricentenaire (built in 1996, a house for disabled people);
- the Chalet Ginkgo (the former laundry) will be used for youth groups since 1980th
park
The property includes a large park along the main street (Rue de Luxembourg), from which it is separated by a high wall. The park was renovated shortly after 1910 by the then owner Anton Erpelding, the old trees were largely preserved. The ruins of the medieval tower were integrated into the new park. In 2006, when the tower's walls collapsed, the ruin was removed along with a Lourdes grotto.
Two of these trees, a black pine ( Pinus nigra ) and an English oak ( Quercus robur ), are among the most remarkable trees in Luxembourg (lux .: Bemierkenswäert Beem zu Lëtzebuerg ). Both trees are around 175 years old.
The black pine (lux .: black kifer ) is said to be the most imposing of its kind in Luxembourg. In 1981 the tree was named the twelfth thickest tree in Luxembourg. The black pine is also named under the name tree of Prince Henri (lux .: Bam vum Prënz Henri , after Heinrich von Oranien-Nassau ). Heinrich von Oranien-Nassau lived in Walferdingen Castle and often visited his friend and neighbor, the banker Léon Lippmann (1808–1883), in his castle in Heisdorf. They both often walked in the park and talked under this tree. Hence the name of the tree.
The trunk circumference of the tree, measured at chest height, was determined as follows:
- 1907: 3.73 m
- 1958: 4.60 m
- 1980: 5.00 m, at a height of 26 m
- around 2000: 5.27 m, at a height of 26 m
The stile corpse (lux .: Stilleech ) is about 50 m away from the black pine. This tree was first included on the list of notable trees in 2002. The trunk is overgrown with ivy . In 2000 a trunk circumference at chest height of about 4.33 m (the exact value is uncertain due to the ivy) and a height of 29 m was measured.
graveyard
Adjacent to the park is the cemetery of the Sisters of Christian Doctrine from Nancy (French: Cimetiére des Sœurs de la Doctrine Chrétienne de Nancy ).
literature
- Administration des eaux et forêts: Arbres remarquables du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg , Luxembourg 1981, Imprimerie Saint-Paul.
- Ernest Faber: The giant trees of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in words and pictures with mention of excellent foreign giant trees , Diekirch 1907, J. Schroell printing house.
- Alex Langini : The Heisdorf Castle (sic), Le château de Heisdorf , Steinsel 2010, published by the Steinsel community.
- Jean-Pierre Koltz , Tony Krier : Les châteaux historiques du Luxembourg , Luxembourg 1975, Éditions Saint-Paul, Lëtzebuerg.
- J. Sinner et al. : Les arbres remarquables , Administration des eaux et forêts, Musée national d'histoire naturelle (2002).
- Unknown author: The Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Doctrine and Their Work in Our Country , 1937, Sankt-Paulus Druckerei.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alex Langini: The Heisdorf Castle. P. 15.
- ↑ The Nico Kremer house is run by the Fondation du Tricentenaire.
Web links
- Maisons de Retraite des Sœurs de la Doctrine Chrétienne (MAREDOC), website of the retirement home in Heisdorf Castle.
Coordinates: 49 ° 40 ′ 28 ″ N , 6 ° 8 ′ 9 ″ E