Wendish crown

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In the 19th century, the Wendish Crown became a historical symbol of identity for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg and its states Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz . It arose from the interpretation of an archaeological find that was originally neither Wendish nor a crown , and is an example of invented tradition .

origin

Wendish crown , found in 1849 near Lübenheen, illustration from 1899

The name Wendish crown was originally understood to be a piece of jewelry, some of which were found in Mecklenburg in the first half of the 19th century. It is a circlet about 13 centimeters ( 5 1/2 inches in hamburger measure ) in diameter, which ends in spikes at the top. About a quarter of the ring is designed to be opened and consists of two parts that are held together on one side by a hinge pin, while on the other the closure is made by a small pin that fits into an opposite hole. The hinge pin closes at the top in a blunt spike that rises from a rosette. The first frost was found in 1823 on the farm in Langen Trechow (today part of Bernitt ) near Bützow when excavating for the construction of a new barn deep in the earth and is characterized by a deep green, shiny patina . The second copy was found in 1843 at Admannshagen near Doberan ; it was in an urn in a low burial mound. The ring was broken and bent when it was found. With the exception of the hinge pin, it was not made of bronze, but of copper. The third circlet was found in 1849 at Lübenheen and differs from the others in its considerable size (7 inch diameter = 16.7 centimeters) and the hollow casting . A fourth example, which Lisch found in the Schwerin grand ducal collection and called the Schwerin Crown , is of unknown origin and of a different shape in that it only has flat elevations instead of the prongs and the hinge point.

When the first of these rings was found, it was given the name "Wendish Crown". This corresponded to the archaeological view prevailing in Mecklenburg at the time and a tradition that went back to Albert Krantz ' Wandalia , which ascribed almost the entire prehistoric legacy in the country to the people of the Wends . A discussion arose in which u. a. Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch recognized the Germanic origin of the rings, but dated them to the early Bronze Age . Robert Beltz dated it to the La Tène period in 1899 , around 300 BC. At the same time, he pointed out that the Wendish crown should not only be deprived of its title Wendish , but that the name crown should also be questioned. He compared them with rings that have flatter or thicker elevations on their upper side, originally bent from sheet bronze, later cast in increasingly thick copies. These rings were all set up to be opened and were clearly not crowns but neck rings. Adolf Hollnagel cataloged the finds logically as "hinge neck rings" .

use

Drawing of the Wendish crown by Hugo Gerard Ströhl : Heraldischer Atlas 1899

However, the discussion and clarification in archaeological expert circles did not prevent the Wendish Crown from becoming a kind of national symbol for Mecklenburg in the second half of the 19th century. It was stylized heraldically as a green enamelled ring decorated with an emerald with a tower-like structure in the middle and was henceforth an ancient symbol of the Obotrite dukes who formerly ruled the area of ​​today's Mecklenburg .

House orders and coat of arms

Main article : House Order of the Wendish Crown

The Grand Ducal House Order of the Wendish Crown was donated on May 12, 1864 by the two Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg, Friedrich Franz II. And Friedrich Wilhelm (II.) , As an "honorable testimony to the highest preferential recognition and respect and to honor special merits" . The order was sometimes referred to as the Wendish Crown for short ; his order shield contains the Wendish crown in the middle, with the grand cross with the crown in ore in ore, in all other classes in gold. A larger replica of the Wendish crown was at the lower center point of the chain of the order.

From 1884 to 1918 it was part of the state coat of arms of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as a helmet crown on the middle heraldic helmet .

  • House order of the Wendish Crown, Mecklenburg-Schwerin chain

  • Coat of arms of Mecklenburg-Schwerin with the Wendish crown on the middle heraldic helmet

Monuments

Megalopolis of the Victory Column with the Wendish Crown

Monuments in the country were also decorated with the Wendish crown. It can be found in an excellent place on the head of the megalopolis on the Victory Column at the Old Garden in Schwerin .

Literary

The Wendish crown was also used as an identifier for Mecklenburg in literature and drama . In 1891 Jean Bernard Muschi published Die Wendische Krone as a patriotic drama in five acts. and Helene von Krause described in 1912 Under the Wendish Crown: Walks through Mecklenburg.

literature

  • Robert Beltz , Richard Wagner : The prehistory of Mecklenburg (= Mecklenburg history in individual representations. Vol. 1). Süsserott, Berlin 1899, p. 100f.
  • Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch : The Crown. In: Yearbooks of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology. Volume 6. Schwerin 1841, p. 112 (on the circumstances of the find in Langen Trechow) ( digitized version ).
  • Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch: cone grave and crown of Admanshagen. In: Yearbooks of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology. Volume 10. Schwerin 1845, pp. 272-274 ( digitized version ).
  • Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch: Crown of Lübenheen. In: Yearbooks of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology. Volume 14. Schwerin 1849, pp. 315-317. ( Digitized version ).
  • Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch: About bronze crowns and the Schwerin crown. In: Yearbooks of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology. Volume 29. Schwerin 1864, pp. 142-151 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch : About bronze crowns and the Schwerin crown. In: Yearbooks of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology. Volume 29. Schwerin 1864, pp. 142-151 ( digitized version ).
  2. ↑ On the circumstances see: Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch: Die Krone. In: Yearbooks of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology. Volume 6. Schwerin 1841, p. 112 ( digitized version ).
  3. ↑ Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch: About bronze crowns and the Schwerin crown. In: Yearbooks of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology. Volume 29. Schwerin 1864, p. 146 f. with illus. ( digitized version ).
  4. ↑ Georg Christian Friedrich Lisch: About bronze crowns and the Schwerin crown. In: Yearbooks of the Association for Mecklenburg History and Archeology. Volume 29. Schwerin 1864, pp. 142-151 ( digitized version ).
  5. ^ Adolf Hollnagel : Bibliography on the prehistory and early history of Mecklenburg (districts Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg). Schwerin 1968 (subject index).
  6. ↑ Gert Oswald : Lexicon of Heraldry. From apple cross to twin bars. 2nd edition, Battenberg, Regenstauf 2006, ISBN 978-3-86646-010-2 , p. 442.
  7. ^ Kahle, Dessau / Leipzig 1891.
  8. ^ Fontane, Berlin 1912.