Schwartau infirmary
The Schwartau infirmary was an institution for lepers , later a home for the needy, an old people's home and poor house in Schwartau in Schleswig-Holstein , which existed for 600 years.
It was located on the main road from Lübeck to Eutin near the Schwartau river (where the George Chapel is today).
history
The infirmary was first mentioned in a document as "Domus Leprosorum" (Latin for " House of Lepers ") in 1258 and goes back to the founding of the Lübeck Bishop Johann von Diest . The (up to twelve) Siechen lived in the infirmary after cloistered strict regulations ( tonsure , religious clothing, regular prayers, work, etc.). The work to be done was to reclaim the surrounding land.
The infirmary achieved a certain level of prosperity through donations , foundations and legacies of money and land (as well as the management of the goods or the lease income from them), which made it possible to build a chapel in 1289 .
After the disappearance of leprosy, the house, which was orphaned at the time, was rededicated in 1443 as a home for (up to twelve) needy sisters - who also lived according to monastery-like regulations.
1508 the original chapel was replaced by a new building in the late Gothic replaced style.
After the Reformation, the infirmary was transformed into an old people's home and increasingly a poor house for men - with no regulations for a monastic life.
In 1804, Lübeck ceded all possessions in Schwartau to the Principality of Lübeck , which was formed from the Lübeck bishopric (according to the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss ) - whereby the continued existence of the infirmary was agreed for the entire lifetime of the remaining residents. After the death of the last resident in 1823, the dilapidated infirmary was demolished in early 1824. The accompanying infirmary master's house occasionally served as a shelter for the homeless.
In 1858 the foundation on which the infirmary was based was abolished, with the community of Schwartau receiving the chapel and the infirmary, which used the infirmary as a poor house until 1862 and then sold it, after which it was converted into a residential building.
The only remaining part of the infirmary is the St. George's Chapel from 1508, which, after an eventful history, is used today for church services.
Others
The Schwartau Altar (also known as the “Circle Brothers Altar ”) had been in the infirmary for an indefinite period - it was loaned to the St. Annen Museum in Lübeck in 1926 for 10 years . It was not returned after 10 years - instead, the altar became the property of the St. Anne's Museum on April 1, 1937.
literature
- Max Steen : Bad Schwartau - Past and present . Lübeck 1973 (including: The Schwartau infirmary )
- Max Steen: The George Chapel and the infirmary in Schwartau . In: Jahrbuch für Heimatkunde, Eutin 1979, pages 114–120