Wichmannsburg (moated castle)
| Wichmannsburg | ||
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 Schematic representation of the Wichmannsburg including the immediate surroundings by Karl Kayser |
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| Creation time : | 10th century | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg, island location | |
| Conservation status: | Burgstall | |
| Place: | Bienenbüttel - Wichmannsburg | |
| Geographical location | 53 ° 7 '57.5 " N , 10 ° 30' 41.3" E | |
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The Wichmannsburg was a moated castle on the Ilmenau in today's place Wichmannsburg , a district of the unitary community of Bienenbüttel in the Lower Saxony district of Uelzen . The castle was on a small island in the Ilmenau near today's Burgstrasse.
location
Ilmenau in the area of a river curve to which today's Burgstrasse hugs. A moat separated the castle island from a neighboring and larger island. At the point where the two arms of the Ilmenau flowed together again, there was an old mill on the larger island one hundred to one hundred and fifty meters downstream from the castle. A dam attached to the mill. To the east, swamp meadows separated the castle from Edendorf . The Kläpenwald, which led to Jelmstorf , extended to the west and south . A swamp-like depression stretched between today's Bienenbüttel and Wichmannsburg, making the castle inaccessible.
history
Count Wichmann I († 944) had the Wichmannsburg named after him built on the edge of the Ilmenau in the 10th century. The castle was supposed to protect Billung's possessions against the Wends and was probably Wichmann's preferred residence. Documentary evidence that the castle actually goes back to Wichmann I is missing, however.
Wichmann's sons, Wichmann II and Eckbert , were besieged by Duke Hermann with an army in 955 after open resistance to King Otto in Wichmannsburg. Hermann Billung finally drove the rebels out successfully. What effects these fights had on the state of Wichmannsburg are unknown. After the death of Wichmann II, the Wichmannsburg came into the possession of the Kemnade monastery in 967 . In the 12th century Wichmannsburg and the surrounding villages came under the administration of Corvey by Wibald von Stablo and Corvey .
The Corvey monastery initially placed the Wichmannsburg and the associated possessions in the hands of the Lüneburg dukes and finally in the hands of the Schwerin towards the end of the 13th century. The Schwerin belonged to the noble family Grote and, as castle men of Lüneburg, had to defend the castle on the Kalkberg in Lüneburg. One of them was Otto von Schwerin, who probably used most of the Wichmannsburg when he was not at the castle in Lüneburg, since most of his armrests were in the immediate vicinity of the Wichmannsburg. Due to the unsafe land routes, the Lüneburg Council, together with the St. Michaelis and Medingen monasteries, demanded in 1332 that the Ilmenau be cleared for shipping between Lüneburg and Uelzen . Therefore, the mills and dams, including the Wichmannsburger, had to be demolished. This was equivalent to the task of the Wichmannsburg, as these enemies would be defenseless. Otto von Schwerin could not resist this endeavor and finally gave up the castle. It can be assumed, however, that the Wichmannsburg was in poor condition anyway and was therefore no longer of great value. On May 17, 1332, the Wichmannsburger mill was handed over to the Medingen monastery and the entity in Wichmannsburg was dissolved. The Medingen Monastery finally sold the remains of the mill in 1343 to the council in Lüneburg.
The time of the actual destruction of the Wichmannsburg is unknown.
The former location of the castle still showed an elevation in 1878, but was barren soil for agriculture. The moats, which were not completely filled in, were still clearly visible. The islands were no longer preserved, but the water well known as “de Laak” was detectable, which indicates the second arm of the Ilmenau that flows around the castle. The large base beam of the dam was preserved and became visible when the Ilmenau water level was low.
investment
The moated castle was divided into a round tower and a directly adjacent nave. The Wichmannsburg was surrounded by water on three sides. With the help of the dam located downstream, the wider area around the castle could also be easily flooded for protection. It is assumed that Wichmann I. had a castle chapel built. However, there is no evidence of this. However, it can be proven that the community of Wichmannsburg belonged to the Bevensen baptistery during Wichmann's lifetime .
Todays situation
There are no more remains of the Wichmannsburg. The site of the former Wichmannsburg is now used as a fenced-off pasture area and is not accessible.
View of the southern beginning of the former castle complex
View of the facility at the approximate location of the castle
View of the northern end of the castle complex on the left bank of the river
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Second Wichmannsburg castle
The castle named after Wichmann I should not be confused with a castle built in Wichmannsburg at a later date. Wasmud from the Meding family began to build a new castle in 1361 after he had bought the town of Wichmannsburg. The castle was built on a hill west of the Ilmenau. The location is partly on the current site of the Wichmannsburg rectory of St. George's Church .
Web links
- Entry by Stefan Eismann on Wichmannsburg in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Karl Kayser: Chronicle of the Wichmannsburg parish in the Hanoverian office of Medingen . Meyer, Hannover 1878, p. 9-14 .
- ↑ a b c d Hector Wilhelm Heinrich Mithoff: Fürstenthum Lüneburg . In: Art monuments and antiquities in Hanover . tape 4 . Helwing, Hannover 1877, p. 271 .
- ^ Wilhelm Lucka: District of Uelzen . In: Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany (Ed.): Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany . Vieweg, Braunschweig 1984, ISBN 978-3-528-06205-7 , pp. 113 .
- ↑ Karl Kayser: Chronicle of the Wichmannsburg parish in the Hanoverian office of Medingen . Meyer, Hannover 1878, p. 14 .
- ↑ a b Stefan Eismann: Wichmannsburg. In: EBIDAT. Retrieved May 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Karl Kayser: Chronicle of the Wichmannsburg parish in the Hanoverian office of Medingen . Meyer, Hannover 1878, p. 14-18 .
- ↑ Karl Kayser: Chronicle of the Wichmannsburg parish in the Hanoverian office of Medingen . Meyer, Hannover 1878, p. 24-29 .
- ↑ Karl Kayser: Chronicle of the Wichmannsburg parish in the Hanoverian office of Medingen . Helwing, Hannover 1878, p. 9-14, 21 .
- ↑ Wichmannsburg main data. In: EBIDAT. Retrieved May 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Wichmannsburg current use. In: EBIDAT. Retrieved May 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Karl Kayser: Chronicle of the Wichmannsburg parish in the Hanoverian office of Medingen . Meyer, Hannover 1978, p. 30-33 .