Loitz Castle
The Loitz Castle was a medieval-early modern manor in Loitz on the Peene in Vorpommern, in today Vorpommern-Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany). It has been falling off since the early 18th century.
Predecessor systems
Tradition has it that a castle rampart from the Slav period was assumed to be at the later site of the castle in Loitz, which was also proven in the modern era by various finds in the edge areas of the later buildings. Extensive excavations were carried out in this area in 2005 before the new marina was built in front of the Loitz train station. Not only were bank fortifications found about 10 meters away from the current Peeneufer, but also extensive settlement findings with ceramics and other artefacts to the north. The found layers of earth also suggest the castle wall described.
In the early German period (Vorpommern from approx. 1230) the castle wall was built over by a castle , which developed into an important point in the border area between Pomerania and Mecklenburg. To the north of the excavation site of the Slavic settlement (castle wall), an excavation followed in the presumed area of the early German castle complex. Several water supply systems for the castle were found with a well and a water pipe. Many ceramic finds, iron goods, wooden objects, etc., which clearly demonstrate early German use, were also uncovered.
history
Loitz received in 1242 by Detlef von Gadebusch the Lubeck city rights . As a result, the town and country of Loitz change rulership between Rügen and Pomerania several times .
During the First War of the Rügen Succession , Loitz got involved in the fighting between Pomerania and Mecklenburg , which were fighting for the succession in the principality. While the town of Loitz was occupied by the Mecklenburgers in 1326, the castle under Reinfried von Pentz withstood the conquerors. In autumn the castle was appalled by the agent of the Danes, Count Gerhard V. von Holstein . But when he later turned to the Mecklenburgers, the fight began again. In March 1327 armed forces from Demmin and Greifswald occupied the city and castle, drove out the Mecklenburgers and left 50 soldiers and 12 archers from Greifswald as a crew.
The Second War of the Rügen Succession around 1351 did not directly affect the castle, because the Mecklenburgers were defeated in advance on Schoppendamm. When the acts of war of the Thirty Years War spread to Western Pomerania in 1627, the castle, town and country of Loitz were also badly affected. Severe devastation and destruction were reported, which also affected the castle.
- 1627 Wallenstein invaded, Loitz occupied
- 1631 Occupation by the Swedish king Gustav Adolf
- 1637 Occupation by Imperial troops
- 1638 Occupation by the Swedish general Banér
All of these occupations resulted in destruction and looting, respectively. After that there were again acts of war in the Northern War , which affected Loitz in 1659. When the Great Elector of Brandenburg invaded Swedish-Pomerania in 1675 , Loitz was again a target as an important crossing point, but the Swedes' rapid retreat did not result in any major damage.
Medieval castle complex
It is not known when exactly the castle was built. The first written mention of it comes from the year 1314, the name was already "Slot" back then. The land around Loitz, as part of the Principality of Rügen, has belonged to the Dukes of Pomerania since the above-mentioned disputes with Mecklenburg. The castle with the corresponding supplies was also part of it. The "slot" or "hus" Loitz is often mentioned in documents from the 14th and 15th centuries, but we do not learn anything about its appearance. In terms of its administrative function, it was the center of a bailiwick, later, from the beginning of the 16th century, an office that also bore the name Loitz.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Loitz Castle and Bailiwick were pledged several times. In 1383, 1422 and 1457 the dukes redeemed the pledge, but were repeatedly forced to pledge because of the lack of money. The castle was then assigned as a bailiff's seat, but in 1480 Duke Bogislaw X. first applied a right of termination to bailiff Bernd von Maltzahn , with whom he came into conflict a little later. The first structural details are known from the writings written about it. In an indictment from 1490, Duke Bogislaw accused his marshal, among other things: “Item, do he vnnsz dat sloth (Loitz) wedder inandtwerdede, tobrack he vnnsz to smaheyt vnnde slogh entwey doren, more glassy, outside in the thorns, iserwerck vnde changes. .. ". Zingeln is also mentioned elsewhere. These are the first modest references to structural elements of the castle: glass windows, Dornitzen (rooms) with ovens and Zingeln as part of the fortifications. The contract with Maltzahn's successor as Loitzer Vogt, Peter Myckes, provides information about the military equipment at this time. Eight new hook-rifles, five stone-rifles, crossbows, arrows and powder are named in an attached inventory. Around 1500 a new granary was built on the castle. According to their function, a few other rooms are also mentioned around this time, such as "mgh (my gracious lord) gemak, the Jungfrowenkamer, dat ridderhus, the kentzelye (office), the hangelkamer (shack that served as a bed for the servants), the stenkamer , the chapel. "
From 1555 onwards, Duke Philip I of Pomerania-Wolgast had the castle expanded and overhauled by master craftsman Endelin and the Torgau sculptor Simon. In the spring of 1555, Master Simon was a sculptor in Pomerania and on May 29 he delivered an expert opinion on the “causes of what Löcz was not fortifying”. We owe the first oldest known description of the Loitz Castle to this expert opinion. After that, the entire building complex stood on an approximately 35 cubits (= around 20 meters) high, artificially piled mountain, around which a moat ran that was connected to the Peene. In addition to the old house, several new buildings that have not been characterized are also mentioned. In addition, the report mentions a new armory, which was set up against the wall, i.e. it was probably outside the actual castle. Overall, this description only gives a very fragmentary impression of the appearance of the entire facility. However, it is questionable whether the construction work contractually agreed for 1558 was actually carried out. A detailed description was made in connection with the marriage negotiations between Duke Ernst Ludwig and his future father-in-law, Duke Julius von Braunschweig-Lüneburg , in 1577. It remains to be seen whether this reflects the same system as in 1555 or takes into account modifications from 1558. Furthermore, floor plans of the castle have been handed down from this period.
New construction of the castle
From 1585, however, Ernst Ludwig had the palace rebuilt in the Renaissance style. It was given the appearance known from the depictions of the Stralsund Illuminated Manuscript from 1615, the Lubin map from 1618 and the engraving by Merian from 1652.
In the marriage contract he had planned the Loitz Castle and Land as a widow's residence and personal property for his wife Sophia Hedwig von Braunschweig . After his death in 1592, the Duchess then moved into and used the castle and the land that belonged to it. She lived there until her death in 1631. Further conversions and extensions are known from her time, the most extensive from the years around 1620, when she also had work on the prince's chair in the Marienkirche .
In 1638 the Swedish general Axel Lillie was given the office and Loitz Castle as pledges. He had extensive repairs and modifications carried out, which are documented in detail. In 1654 he had to return his pledged possessions. After that, the gradual decline began. In 1697 the Swedish surveyor reported that the castle was devastated, so it was only a ruin. During the city fire in 1701, other remains were destroyed. After that, the ruins were gradually cleared away.
The Schlossberg, which can still be seen on cityscapes from the early 19th century, was completely removed when the railway line to Toitz-Rustow was built in 1906. Some finds from 1828, including a late medieval castle , came to the Stralsund Museum as part of Friedrich von Hagenow's collection and are now there.
The castle mill, a watermill , whose successors are still preserved today , still belonged to the castle area. The large mill pond that protected the castle from the north was later drained and filled in. The Mühlbach was laid underground.
Integration in the city's defenses
In the Swedish military maps from 1759 and 1761, the integration of the castle and its defenses can be clearly seen, although it should be noted that in the drawing from 1759 the castle is still completely preserved. However, it is possible that the Swedish draftsmen of the military atlas (received in Berlin) used older sources and thus depicted a much older condition.
According to the drawing, the town and castle offered an excellent defensive situation, as the town and castle were surrounded by boggy meadows and water. Bastions, ramparts, ditches and walls are still preserved today in relics, especially on the west and north sides of the city.
literature
- Dirk Schleinert : On the history of the Loitzer Castle. In: Dirk Schleinert, Ralf-Gunnar Werlich (ed.): Loitz - city on the Peene. Contributions to history and its architectural and art monuments. Thomas Helms Verlag Schwerin 2008, ISBN 978-3-935749-63-3 , pp. 33-46.
- Gerhard Heitz , Henning Rischer : History in data - Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Verlag Koehler & Amelang, 1995, 290 pages
- Henning Rischer : Loitzer Heimatblätter. Part 2, 1983 pp. 4–12 + Part 3 1984 pp. 5–11 + Part 4 1987 pp. 30–41 (with primary sources), publisher Stadt Loitz and Kulturbundgruppe der Stadt
- Gustav Kratz : The cities of the province of Pomerania. Berlin 1865
Individual evidence
- ↑ Elke Schanz: "A Slavic settlement on the Peene near Loitz, Lkr. Demmin", pages 64-79, In: "Archaeological reports from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania", Volume 13, 2006
- ↑ Ralf Jänicke: "Water for the castle - excavations in the area of the former Loitz castle -", pages 79-99, In: "Archaeological reports from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania", volume 13, 2006
- ↑ Dirk Schleinert: On the history of the Loitzer castle. In: Dirk Schleinert, Ralf-Gunnar Werlich (ed.): Loitz - city on the Peene. Contributions to history and its architectural and art monuments. Schwerin 2008, pp. 33–46, here pp. 35–37.
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 58 '14.3 " N , 13 ° 8' 8.7" E