Sonderburg Castle
| Sonderburg Castle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Sonderburg, view over the harbor to the castle |
|||
| country | Denmark | ||
| today | museum | ||
| Coordinates : | 54 ° 54 ' N , 9 ° 47' E | ||
| Opened | 12th Century | ||
| Formerly stationed units | |||
| Fusilier Regiment 86 |
|
||
Location of Sønderborg Castle in Denmark |
|||
The Sønderborg Castle ( Dan. Sønderborg Slot ) in the South Denmark City Sonderburg one of the oldest secular buildings of Jutland . It was the eponymous seat of the noble house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg and the branch lines that emerged from it. The castle now houses a museum.
Architecture of the castle
Sønderborg Castle is a four-wing, almost rhombus-shaped complex around an inner courtyard. The entire three-storey castle building is made of brick and rests on a foundation of massive stone blocks. Of the original defensive towers - crowned with mighty hoods since the Renaissance - which protected and emphasized the corners of the building, today almost only the foundations are left. Only in the northwest corner of the castle has a blunt tower attachment survived. The medieval entrance to the castle can still be seen in the north wall, which is now walled up. Today's wider access, which leads to the wide courtyard of the castle, is on the east side. The inner courtyard is adorned by three slender stair towers .
Some of the castle interiors have apparently been preserved in their original state from their layout. Of the halls of the palace, the 34-meter-long knight's hall and the Renaissance palace chapel , built between 1568 and 1570 by order of Dorothea von Sachsen-Lauenburg-Ratzeburg , are particularly noteworthy. The former dungeons are also partially accessible. During the Renaissance, gables and dormers were still provided with decorative elements typical of the time, which were removed during the renovation work in the 18th century. Since then, the castle has had strict facades, which are only enlivened by the large number of windows.
The outer fortifications that once surrounded the castle and made it a strong fortress have largely been demolished. Remains of this can still be seen, especially on the east side.
The castle from the waterfront
View of the inner courtyard
Another look into the inner courtyard with two stair towers
Fortifications in front of the castle
history
Emergence
Over the centuries, castles and palaces were gradually built in various places along the Flensburg Fjord . The first fortress on the site of today's Sonderborg Castle was probably built in the 12th century at the instigation of the Danish King Waldemar I as a stronghold against pirate attacks by the Wends . At that time it apparently consisted essentially of a single heavy castle tower, the remains of which are now behind the walls of the northeast corner. Due to its location, this tower castle on the Flensburg Fjord, which is located at the entrance to Alsensund , on the side of the island of Als (German: Alsen ), on a natural Werder , was called Sønderborg, Südburg . Similarly, the northern Alsenburg was renamed Nordburg .
The first tradition about the castle dates back to 1253. In that year, King Christopher I of Denmark conquered the castle and had its fortress walls razed. Nevertheless, the eponymous castle should continue to exist and was obviously rebuilt. In the middle of the 13th century, the original castle tower was replaced by a heavier tower. Furthermore, the tower was supplemented in a further step by defensive walls , which formed the crooked square that corresponds to the current floor plan of the castle. At that time the castle was apparently already serving as a kind of prison, because Duke Waldemar IV of Schleswig had the Reichstruchseß Peder Höfel, whom he believed to be the murderer of King Erich Klipping , imprisoned there for a long time in 1289 .
The castle has been massively expanded and expanded since the 1350s. Around 1375 another tower was added to the castle complex on the southeast corner. The extensions in the 14th century were accompanied by various disputes around the castle. - In the shadow of the castle, the town of the same name, Sønderborg, grew up, which matured into a city by the 15th century.
_-_Bildnis_Christians_II.,_K%C3%B6nig_von_D%C3%A4nemark_(MbK,_Leipzig).jpg)
Disputes from the 14th to the 15th century
In 1325, Christoph II conquered the castle in a war with the Holstein counts . In the following year, however, he lost the war and the crown . King Waldemar Atterdag married Helvig in 1340 , the sister of Duke Waldemar V , who had previously been named Waldemar III from 1326 to 1330. had been Danish king at the ducal castle of Sønderborg. Around 1353, the Sønderborg was the residence of Duke Waldemar V. Several districts of Schleswig, together with Gottorf Castle , had previously been assigned to the Counts of Holstein as pledges. The peaceful relationship between the king and the duke ultimately ended. In 1358 the king besieged Sønderborg. However, the duke is said to have been absent. Therefore, the Duchess Regitze went with her wives to the king's camp and, with her request, achieved that the castle and the land be spared. After the Duke's death in 1364, Sønderborg was assigned to her widow's seat. The widow placed herself under the protection of the king. The king occupied the castle around 1373. When he died in 1375, the then bailiff, Mr. Henning Meynstrup, Sonderburg for the Holsteiners.
From 1410 there were various armed conflicts in the development region. The King of the Kalmar Union , Erich von Pommern, quarreled with the Hanseatic League and the Schauenburg Counts of Holstein over money, power and influence. In this context, the newly built Duburg was besieged several times in Flensburg , 25 kilometers away . But Sønderborg Castle was also the scene of battles at that time. It was besieged in 1410 by King Eric of Pomerania, but not conquered. After the failed siege, the king let the knight Mr. Execute Abraham Brodersen . In 1430 King Erich had a fleet equipped, which he placed under the command of the knight Erich Krummediek . When the Holstein counts found out that this fleet was to conquer the island of Alsen, they fortified the island and especially the Sønderborg Castle. They occupied the island with Vitaliners , which they received from the Hanseatic League, and the castle with additional Hanseatic soldiers. Erich Krummendiek lost part of his fleet during a storm. Due to the stronger defense, a landing of his remaining troops was no longer possible.
1445 married Christoph of Bavaria , King of Denmark and Norway and Sweden , the 15-year-old Dorothea of Brandenburg , which he special castle as a jointure certain. After his death, King Christian I married the widow of his predecessor. Gerhard the Brave , the brother of the new king, claimed a share of the inheritance after the death of his uncle Adolf VIII . In 1464 Gerhard succeeded in seizing several castles in the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein and evidently obtaining the governorship there. Soon afterwards Christian I forced his brother to give up the occupied castles. On September 23, 1469, the king's soldiers recaptured Sønderborg. In 1470 the king pledged the castle with the associated bailiwick for 14,000 Rhenish guilders to his wife Dorothea. In the 1490s, the castle is said to have served as the queen's widow's seat.
Extensions at the beginning of the 16th century
Around 1500 the castle was expanded and strengthened again. The north-west tower, of which the two lower floors are preserved today, was built. In addition, a bailey consisting of forward bastions connected by walls was built. The Sonderburger Castle was thus one of the strongest castles in the area of the Cimbrian Peninsula . In the massive outer walls of the castle were at that time, unlike today, only openings in the form loopholes and Brühl Öcher at the height of the second floor.
During the Reformation
The social upheavals of the Reformation also reached the development region. Since 1521 the Danish King Christian II had tried to enforce the Reformation in his domain. After the nobility rose against him in Denmark and Norway, he fled to Wittenberg, where he lived in Lucas Cranach's house. Meanwhile, Luther's translation of the New Testament had appeared. Shortly afterwards, Christian II initiated Christian II's Bible , the first Danish translation of the New Testament . In April 1529, the Flensburg disputation took place in the St. Catherine's Monastery in Flensburg, presided over by the Crown Prince Duke Christian , who later became King Christian III. instead of. As a result of the disputation, the Lutheran Reformation was to prevail throughout Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein . The deposed Christian II was soon taken prisoner and was imprisoned at Sønderborg Castle from 1532 to 1549. A well-known legend reports on his allegedly extremely poor prison conditions. - Despite his arrest, he was actually allowed to enjoy the comforts of a nobleman during the 17 years of his imprisonment and to a certain extent even held court. In 1549 the prisoner was transferred to Kalundborg Castle , on the island of Zealand , where he was held until his death.
Renaissance and baroque remodeling
King Christian III and later his son, Duke Johann von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg , built the former castle into a splendid Renaissance residence. After the bankruptcy of the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg, which was drastically reduced in 1622 when the estate was divided, the town and the castle returned to the possession of the Danish crown and the castle was now the residence of the bailiff . However, it was only inhabited irregularly until 1718. King Friedrich IV had the palace rebuilt in the Baroque style , including the removal of the tower domes and massive windows in the facades at his request.
In 1768 the castle came into the possession of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg , but it was hardly used as a residence - the more modern Augustenborg Castle , located a little outside of Sønderborg, was used for this and was even rented out as a warehouse for a time. The old Vorwerk, Langenvorwerk or also called Ladegaard , meanwhile developed into an independent estate to which several villages as southern Alsen were subordinate.
The castle in Prussian times
During the first and second Schleswig-Holstein wars (1864) , the castle served as a barracks and hospital . After the battle at the Düppeler Schanzen on April 18, 1864, the Prussian troops crossed from Sundewitt on June 29, 1864 to the Arnkiel peninsula, which belongs to the island of Alsen. In this way they avoided the crossing at Sonderburg and from this situation brought about the final decision, with which the entire Schleswig became part of the province of Schleswig-Holstein . The Prussian era began for Sønderborg and the castle. The castle essentially retained its military function until 1920. During the imperial era, parts of the Fusilier Regiment 86 were stationed there. Most of the regiment was stationed in the Duburg barracks in Flensburg . At the beginning of the 20th century, Flensburg- Mürwik and Sonderburg were expanded militarily by the Imperial Navy . At the base in Mürwik , the Naval School Mürwik , the so-called "Red Castle", was built between 1907 and 1910 , the architect Adalbert Kelm was inspired by the Marienburg . Almost simultaneously in the years 1905 to 1907 a kind of sister building was built not far from the Sonderborg Castle, the Sønderborg barracks , which Kelm was also involved in building. The aforementioned smaller naval base shows clear similarities to the construction in Mürwik. A large part of the military stationed in Sønderborg may have been there since that time. After the First World War , there was a referendum in Schleswig in 1920 . Through this, Sønderborg and the castle came to Denmark. The Flensburg Fjord became the border.
The castle today
In 1921 the state bought the castle. A museum founded by Jens Raben was then set up in the castle . 1964–73 the city had the castle completely restored. Today the castle belongs to the Sønderjylland Museum, which looks after 10 museum locations in the region. The history of South Jutland and North Schleswig is shown in the castle . A special focus is placed on the constant conflicts around North Schleswig in the 19th century and on the consequences of the two world wars. Concerts of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival take place in the knight's hall and in the courtyard . The most valuable piece in the collection is a Cranach painting from the private collection of King Christian II, which has been on display in the palace since 2012. Further paintings and objects as well as Bibles that explain the Reformation events around Christian II complete the exhibition.
In the summer months, usually between July and August, the royal yacht Dannebrog is moored in front of the castle. At this time the royal family stayed in their nearby summer residence, Gravenstein Castle, during their holidays.
Legends from Sønderborg Castle
In addition to the above-mentioned legend of Christian II, there are two other legends about Sønderborg Castle, which were recorded by Karl Müllenhoff in the middle of the 19th century .
Say of the construction of the castle
When they wanted to build a castle on Alsen, they argued for a long time until they decided on a place near the village of Broe ( 54 ° 57 ′ 3 ″ N, 9 ° 53 ′ 41 ″ E ). Then the palace construction began. But then it quickly became apparent that what was built during the day was always destroyed the following night. Finally, a black bull was tied a bar around the neck. The next morning the bull with the beam was found at Alsinger Sund. Obviously, other bulls that were blindfolded could hardly be tamed. They too quickly moved the building material to the same place where the castle was then built. Similar legends are associated with other places and churches, for example the Johanniskirche in Flensburg- Adelby or the St. Marien Church (Rabenkirchen) .
The haunted princess at Sønderborg Castle
A princess at Sønderborg Castle on Alsen fell in love with a squire who served with the duke, her father. The two secretly met, made love, and eventually got caught. When the duke found out about this, he had the squire seized to be executed. But the lovers had sworn eternal loyalty to each other and had agreed that if he were to be pardoned at the last moment, he would throw a red cloth up high; if not, but a white one, and then the princess would follow him to death. - In front of the castle on the far bank of the little sound that separates the island from the mainland, a hill was built as a place of execution. When the squire was led over, the princess looked out of her window and paid attention to the sign. She had a bare dagger lying next to her. He was already standing there ready to die when the pardon finally arrived. But in the haste of joy over the unexpected rescue he threw the white cloth up instead of the red one. When the princess saw the cloth, she took the dagger and stabbed herself. Her blood stream ran over the wall. When the faithful squire realized she was dead, he stabbed himself too. Since then, sighs and groans are said to be heard from the princess's former apartments, often at night. She is also supposed to wander around there in the castle, sit by the fireplace and comb her long hair. The exact background of this legend is unknown. The legend is said to come from the 16th century or even earlier.
Legend of the captivity of King Christian II.
When King Christian II was captured at Sønderborg Castle, he is said to have been allowed to move around freely in the early days. However, when he tried to come into contact with his friends in Germany, he was locked in the north-eastern tower. Initially to have lived there with him for company, nor a diminutive man but because he the solitary confinement was not held out, replaced by an old soldier. When he later died, the king is said to have wept a lot. A fireplace is said to have been in one niche in the tower room, the king's bed in another, and a marble table in the middle of the room. Closed to the world and buried alive, it is said to have wandered in a circle around the round table year in and year out - until the floor got a circular notch. A furrow is said to have been marked in the marble top of the table, because during his sorrowful wanderings the king is said to have drawn a finger on the top when he walked around it. After he renounced the throne, the conditions of detention are said to have been eased and he was even said to have been granted visits to the city. In 1549 he was taken to Kalundborg Castle, where he died.
As explained above, the conditions of detention were actually less harsh.
See also
List of castles, chateaus and fortresses in Denmark
Web links
- Sønderborg Slot on the msj.dk homepage
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Sønderborg Castle Museum . (twelve-page museum guide from the 1980s), p. 1
- ↑ Flensburg Journal : Vom Burgenland an der Flensburg Fjord , accessed on: April 16, 2018
- ↑ a b Martin Becker: Kulturlandschaft Flensburger Förde , 2006, p. 93
- ^ A b Hans Nicolai Andreas Jensen : Attempt at church statistics of the Duchy of Schleswig, Volume 1 , Flensburg 1840, p. 317
- ↑ a b c d Andreas Ludwig Jacob Michelsen : Archive for State and Church History of the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, Lauenburg, Volume 4 , Altona 1840, p. 281
- ↑ a b Sønderborg Castle Museum . (twelve-page museum guide from the 1980s), p. 2
- ↑ a b c Andreas Ludwig Jacob Michelsen : Archive for State and Church History of the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, Lauenburg, Volume 4 , Altona 1840, p. 282
- ^ Andreas Ludwig Jacob Michelsen : Archive for State and Church History of the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, Lauenburg, Volume 4 , Altona 1840, p. 282; See also the English article on Abraham Brodersen
- ↑ The Vitalienbrüder were also called Vitaliner; See Heinrich Christian Zietz : Views of the Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck and its Surroundings , p. 391
- ^ Andreas Ludwig Jacob Michelsen : Archive for State and Church History of the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, Lauenburg, Volume 2 , Altona 1834, p. 429
- ^ Andreas Ludwig Jacob Michelsen : Archive for State and Church History of the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein, Lauenburg, Volume 4 , Altona 1840, pp. 282 f .; Note: Kalundborg is often given as the place of death .
- ↑ Hollow holes were used to pour boiling water, pitch or tar over enemies. See Fyn 1995. Trip to the east coast of Funen: Nyborg and the exhibition center for the Great Belt Bridge in Knudshoved , accessed on: April 24, 2018
- ^ Sønderborg Castle Museum . (twelve-page museum guide from the 1980s), p. 1 f.
- ↑ Hans Volz : Martin Luther's German Bible, Hamburg 1978, page 244
- ^ Writings of the Society for Flensburg City History (ed.): Flensburg in history and present . Flensburg 1972, page 389
- ↑ Flensburger Tageblatt : Church history: The Flensburg dispute over the Last Supper , from: September 26, 2017; accessed on: January 20, 2018
- ↑ a b c Manfred-Guldo Schmitz (Hrsg.): Hundred legends from North Schleswig . Nordstrand 2013, p. 31 f.
- ^ German naval base and Sønderborg Barracks , accessed on: April 16, 2018
- ↑ Sønderjylland Museum's website , accessed on: April 16, 2018
- ↑ Flensburger Tageblatt : Cranach painting for Sonderburg Castle , dated December 13, 2012; accessed on: April 16, 2018
- ↑ Hans Nicolai Andreas Jensen : Attempt at church statistics for the Duchy of Schleswig . Flensburg 1842, p. 1600
- ^ Karl Müllenhoff : Legends, fairy tales and songs of the duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg - Chapter 3 , No. 156; accessed on: May 15, 2020
- ^ Karl Müllenhoff : Legends, Fairy Tales and Songs of the Duchies of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg , First Book, No. 53; Retrieved on: April 17, 2018