Court linden tree
The court linden tree (regionally also Tilly-Linde , Thie-Linde) is one of the court trees and was the site of a historical court. Court linden trees are very old trees that stand individually in a prominent place near a village, or they themselves form the old village center. Under these trees was in the Middle Ages to the early modern period , the village court or council, called Thing ( Dingtag ), held under the open sky.
“In the Middle Ages, the court often took place under the protection of the tree, as there was an obligation to hold the court in the open air ... The individual trees or groups of trees planted to protect the court were in frequency after linden, elm, oak, spruce and ash. The linden tree clearly dominated, which the superstition especially diverse u. attributed strong magical effects. This is the safest way to be protected from lightning strikes under the linden tree. For the choice of the linden tree as the court tree par excellence, its tall stature, its rapid growth, its long lifespan of several hundred years and its dense canopy were certainly decisive. In addition, the linden tree can withstand human intervention relatively well, such as supporting and redirecting the branches to enlarge the protected area or to set up a dance floor in its crown. The close connection between linden tree and court is expressed in some areas of Germany in the fact that the word linden tree is used synonymously for court. "
Origin and occupied places
Former court linden trees are called Thie- linden tree in north-west Germany after a word for the village square (which is not related to the word Thing ) . The occasional name Tilly-Linde is traced back to the general Johann T'Serclaes von Tilly in local legends , but can be derived from the Latin name for linden (Tilia) .
Old judicial linden trees can still be found in many places, including Bargischow , Berndshausen , Birnfeld , Castell , Collm , Frankfurt am Main , Göttingen in Grone , Großgoltern , Herzogenreuth , Hohenpölz , Kalkar , Kierspe , Lüdenscheid ( Stilkinger Lehngericht ), Müden an der Örtze , Neuenrade , at the Feldkirche (Neuwied) , Hemmendorf (Salzhemmendorf), Schaumburg , Upstedt and in Warmsen . Possibly the oldest tree in Germany, the linden tree in Schenklengsfeld , was also used as a court linden tree .
These old, under nature conservation standing monuments of nature have, according to local chronicles often an age of over 1000 years. Although linden trees can reach a very old age, the age specification “ thousand year old linden trees ” must be questioned. It is more likely that a tree destroyed by lightning or a storm was replaced by replanting in the same place.
The last public execution by the sword in northern Germany was carried out on January 20, 1859 at the Göttingen judicial linden tree. The maid had poisoned the master baker Siebert, who had promised her marriage. As a deterrent, all servants from Göttingen and the surrounding area had to attend the execution.
Examples
The Bordesholmer Linde , former judicial linden tree in Bordesholm
Over 1000 year old judicial linden tree in Collm
Medieval court linden tree in Gesmold (Osnabrück district)
Court linden tree in Göttingen
Court linden tree in Herzogenreuth
Court linden tree in Lohfelden-Vollmarshausen
Court linden tree in Mönchengladbach
900 year old judicial linden tree in Neuenrade
Court linden tree in Schaumburg
See also
literature
- Rainer Graefe: Buildings made from living trees. Guided dance and court linden trees. Aachen / Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-943164-08-4 .
- Anette Lenzing: Court linden trees and thing places in Germany . (= The Blue Books). Koenigstein i. Ts. 2005, ISBN 3-7845-4520-3 .
- Alexander Demandt: Above all tops. The tree in cultural history. Düsseldorf 2005, ISBN 3-491-96140-8 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jürgen Udolph: onenological studies on the German problem. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin a. a. 1994, ISBN 3-11-014138-8 , pp. 602 f.
- ↑ For example in Frankfurt am Main , Hemmendorf and Deiderode : Tillylinde north of Hemmendorf. (No longer available online.) In: Website of the municipality of Salzhemmendorf . Archived from the original on May 8, 2014 ; accessed on May 8, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Anette Lenzing: Courts Linden and Thingplaces in Germany . Koenigstein i. Ts. 2005 (= The Blue Books).
