Westerhüser wood

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The Wester Hüser woods was a forested area between the today Magdeburg belonging Westerhüsen and south thereof located Frohse , now a part of (Elbe) .

location

The forest expanded between the two villages , at least in the Middle Ages . In the east it reached partly as far as the Elbe . To the west it went over to the area of ​​the Pötritzer swamp . Especially in the area around today's Pfingstwiesengraben , the forest subsoil was swampy. The trees are described as powerful . The Heerstraße Magdeburg-Schönebeck crossed the forest area from north to south.

history

After the destruction of Magdeburg in 1631 in the Thirty Years' War , Magdeburg received from Sweden permission to quickly rebuild the city, also to take building material from the Westerhüser wood. Above all, many oaks were felled and the forest was significantly reduced. In the course of the 18th century the wood disappeared completely. The Pfingstwiesengraben also drained the swampy areas except for small remains. Today the area is used for agriculture.

Assault in 1641

In October 1641, the remaining forest became a battleground. On October 9th, Swedish marauders moved on Heerstrasse from Magdeburg to Schönebeck. The day before they had wreaked havoc in Westerhüsen. They met a procession of merchants from Leipzig who were protected by 15 armed men. The Swedes attacked the merchants near Walwiesche not far from the Elbe . on. The noise of battle could be heard as far as Westerhüsen. All 15 companions of the merchants were murdered. There were also losses among the Swedes. The Swedes looted the merchants' wagons and then moved on. The looted wagons were in the driveway, the bodies were out of the way.

The Westerhüsener immediately reported the incident to the court of the cathedral chapter in Magdeburg. An official who was sent to take up the matter some time later ordered the dead to be buried by farmers in Westerhüsen for a fee. They are said to have done this reluctantly in the Westerhüser wood. In 1931 a bronze eagle was found near the Willis Hof settlement (Straße In der Mittelwiese ), possibly representing the remains of a Swedish helmet.

literature

  • Otto Dieckmann, Das Westerhüser Gehölz in the Evangelisches Gemeindeblatt Magdeburg-Westerhüsen, undated, around 1940

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Otto Dieckmann: The Westerhüser wood. Parish gazette
  2. ↑ Volume 1 of the Domvogtei trading books , quoted from Westerüsen during the Thirty Years' War , Evangelisches Gemeindeblatt, November 1939, No. 11
  3. ^ Friedrich Großhennig, Ortschronik von Westerhüsen in the Magdeburg-SO district , manuscript in the Magdeburg City Archives, call number 80 / 1035n, Part I, page 96

Coordinates: 52 ° 2 ′ 45.6 "  N , 11 ° 40 ′ 51.6"  E