Forest house Willroda

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Forsthaus Willroda (from display board 2014)
Forest house Willroda

The building complex known today as Forsthaus Willroda (also Willrode), listed in the list of castles and palaces in Thuringia , is a facility in the southeast of the Thuringian capital Erfurt . It is located in the Willroda forest between Egstedt and Schellroda in the area of ​​the Egstedt district. The forester's house Willroda consists of several buildings that were built as a fortified property and later rebuilt and expanded as a hunting lodge , then served as a forester's house .

history

The manor under the Counts of Gleichen and Gleichenstein

The history of the current forest house in Willroda goes back to the clearing time , around the 11th century. Willroda was first mentioned in documents in 1204 as a base for the Counts of Gleichen . Her descendant, Count Heinrich von Gleichenstein , sold the manor in 1290 to the Erfurt monastery Neuwerk (the Order of the Augustinian nuns), the special protection of the I. King Rudolf von Habsburg , was.

The estate was owned by the Neuwerk monastery in Erfurt from 1290 to 1450

From 1290 to 1450 the complex was managed by the Neuwerk monastery. In the Thuringian Count War (1342-1346) and in the Saxon Fratricidal War (1446-1451) the estate was destroyed several times and only a "desert" remained of a place Willroda in the neighborhood.

The estate under Claus Hildebrant von Willrode 1450–1477

From 1450 the Neuwerk monastery left the property to an Erfurt patrician and councilor as a fief. Claus Hildebrant, from now on called Claus Hildebrant von Willrode, was a councilor, Kurmainzischer judicial school teacher and Saxon escort . Relatives of his already held the village of Willrode as a fief before it was destroyed. Claus Hildebrant von Willrode rebuilt the dilapidated property during the chaos of war. Among other things, he had the high wall, rampart and moat built as protection, so again a "water castle in miniature". Claus Hildebrant von Willrode lived from 1400 to 1477. His portrait on the epitaph of the churchyard of the Allerheiligengemeinde in Erfurt can be found photographed by Schuchardt in 1964, as well as his residences "Zum Roten Löwen", Marktstrasse 21, and "Zum Güldenen Schwanring" (today Chrifthenhof) Marktstrasse 38.

The estate under free thanks from Willrode 1477–1511

In 1471 the fiefdom was transferred to his son Freidank. Freidank (other spellings: Freydanck, Fridang) studied law for the official career but then became a escort like his father in 1477 and administered the Saxon escort in Erfurt (a not insignificant position if you consider that, for example, Goethe was also director of the Weimar road construction commission held the office of escort in Erfurt). Freidank was also the administrator of his property and owner of Willrode. Among other things, he expanded the fortified and burial chapel, commissioned an altarpiece and stone carvings such as the tympanum and the family coat of arms (the coat of arms with the two sloping beams is that of the Freidank family). According to recent research, Reiner Müller suggests that the design of the chapel could be a replica in the form of the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher , with which Freidank wanted to honor his grandfather Otto Ziegler, who was made Knight of the Holy Sepulcher on the occasion of his adventurous pilgrimage .

Freidank von Willrode finally received the estate from the Neuwerk monastery in 1495 as an inheritance. He became the progenitor of the Willroda family and with his will he prevented the estate from being divided among his heirs and descendants. As a majorate , it should in future pass into the possession of the eldest of the family: "... let it be son or daughter, son or daughter, child ..." In 1510, at Freidank's request, the emperor's inheritance contract, which was rare and controversial in Erfurt, was confirmed Maximilian I. Freidank von Willrode lived from 1430 to 1511.

Sale of the estate to the City Council in 1573. Confirmation of the legacy and continuation of the family foundation

After 123 years of ownership by the Willroda family, the Willroda estate was sold by the heirs to the Erfurt City Council in 1573 under the following conditions: The purchase price of 9,000 guilders is not to be deposited for ever, but should rest on the estate and be non-transferable. The share capital remains “forever”, the annual interest of 5% is paid by the city to the family and goes to the elder. The document "Foundation and family register of those von Willrode" 1603. recorded the beneficiaries and regulated the succession. It is confirmed several times by the Electors of Mainz. The Willrode estate thus became the basis for a family legacy that is unique in this form .

The Willrode estate under the Erfurt Council 1573–1664

The council's purchase contract secured the property and the fortifications at the gates of Erfurt from being acquired by “strangers”. Under the city rule, the property, the associated lands and the forest were administered by so-called court masters who paid taxes and organized hunts. Otherwise the estate remained at the disposal of the Erfurt council. It was increasingly converted from arable farming to forestry.

The estate is annexed by the Bishop of Mainz in 1664 after the conquest of Erfurt

The estate remained relatively unscathed during the Thirty Years' War. But after the general weakening of the cities, the Archbishop of Mainz, Johann Philipp von Schönborn , started a campaign to annex Erfurt. He obtained the authorization to enforce a " Reichsacht " (based, among other things, on the conflicts in the Thirty Years' War) and besieged the city of Erfurt in part with foreign mercenary troops, thanks to the support of Louis XIV , who had been promised a share of the profits. The bitter resistance of the residents withstood the besiegers. The letter from the supposed ally of Erfurt, Elector Johann Georg II of Saxony , who suggested surrender (from October 2, 1664), moved the council to hand over the city on October 6, 1664. Erfurt surrendered while negotiating religious freedom and some remaining privileges. The city-state lost its extensive possessions and dominions, and the fortified Willrode estate also fell to the archbishop and his chapter. This did not change anything in terms of the obligations towards the Willröder heirs. It was not until the replacement of the basic value in the 19th century that a serious cut was made: the payment of the purchase price to the family foundation ordered by the government in 1880 made the share capital subject to inflation and the war bond laws.

Willrode under Mainz rule from 1664 and after

From 1664 to 1802 the estate was under Mainz rule. Wood and hunting were strengthened. For the cleaning of the forest, forced labor was ordered for the surrounding villages from time to time. The estate was, as it is said, "well looked after and kept in order" by the Mainz governors in accordance with a central mercantilist economy, restored several times and finally set up as a hunting lodge. Goethe , Duke Carl August von Sachsen-Weimar and other important contemporaries are said to have been guests at the hunting lodge, probably at the invitation of the Mainz governor Karl Theodor von Dalberg . Among other things, there is the following entry in Goethe's diary on October 1, 1776: “The heart came to Erfurt. [Above] with fronds. Cheerful lunch. After dinner at Willrode. Chatted a lot with d. Governor and consequently nothing shot. "

As a result of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, the estate became Prussian property. After the battle of Jena and Auerstädt in 1806, the estate came under Napoleonic rule and was left as a French domain to Count Tascher de la Pagerie, who was named as the owner in 1812. After the victory of the allies in the Leipzig Battle of Nations of 1813, the estate fell back to Prussia. Willrode became a Prussian chief forester. It remained in Prussian ownership until 1945. The inheritance of the legacy and the Willröder Foundation, which had existed since 1511, remained in place until the Second World War , but were then dissolved and a "Willröder Familien e. V. “founded. The small remaining assets of the foundation went to the association. Among other things, the association organized fundraising campaigns for the restoration of the property, especially the chapel. During the GDR era, the entire complex was increasingly showing signs of deterioration. After the fall of the Wall, it was gradually restored with the participation of numerous individual personalities, offices, authorities and especially the friends' association.

On September 9, 2012, the end of the successful renovation was celebrated on the day of the open monument in the forester's house Willroda. At the same time, the "Association of Friends and Patrons of the Forsthaus Willrode eV" celebrated its 20th anniversary on this day. Today the estate is owned by the Free State of Thuringia and is subordinate to the state forest administration. It houses the Thuringian Forestry Office and is a place for cultural encounters and a popular excursion destination.

Investments

Bridge and entrance gate

As a first measure, the access bridge was renewed in 1990. The restoration of the wall and the deepening of the surrounding ditch followed.

chapel

Manor chapel
Gothic courtyard entrance to the chapel
Brick of the chapel with inscription 1583
Chapel (with apse), manor wall and moat

The most valuable and oldest building in the complex is the chapel, a well-preserved three-storey ashlar stone building in Romanesque style with a round arch frieze and an outward-facing apse , but poor in decorative forms. Due to this architectural style, it was previously assumed that the chapel emerged from a defensive tower built around 1100 or in the 13th century. Among other things, the building historian Rainer Müller believes it is more likely that the castle chapel was only modeled in Romanesque style by Freidank von Willrode in 1495 and that it is not a conversion of an earlier defensive tower. If necessary, the building should serve as the residents' last refuge.

The chapel was subsequently given a Gothic gate on the courtyard side. Under the keystone of the portal ( tympanum ) is a well-preserved depiction of the “ Veronica's handkerchief ”, a sandstone relief that was attached when the chapel was inaugurated. The original Gothic door is in the Erfurt City Museum . The door posts are made of Seeberger sandstone , a particularly valuable material. The chapel contains small Romanesque windows. There is a basement under the chapel. The purpose of the cellar is unclear, possibly a mausoleum for the donor of the chapel. In 1509 Freidank commissioned the building of a stone altarpiece for the Virgin Mary. It depicts Madonna in a halo, typical of that time. In the chapel's chancel you can see round arches of the apse and the loopholes above the altar. The altar is flanked by embedded device shrines with coats of arms. In 1511, the year the founder died, the altarpiece was in the chapel. The forester's office in Erfurt-Hochheim rediscovered the picture in 1760 after it had disappeared for about 200 years. In 1774 the stone altar found its home in the newly built chapel in Hochheim. The current altar in the Willroda chapel is a replica by the Erfurt Artusatelier. The colorful Baroque painting on the ceiling of the chapel had suffered considerably from the evaporation of the chlorine-containing pesticides that were stored here before 1989. The paintings have now been restored in an exemplary manner. Overall, the chapel - started in 1990 with the new roofing of the roof, which was in a desolate state - has been renovated, equipped and revitalized in accordance with the monument.

Forester's house

After a fire destroyed the previous house around 1720, the current main house was rebuilt in 1745 as a single-storey building with a large entrance gate in the middle. The former archway can still be found in the framework. The western part (from the property gate on the left side of the building) contained a little subdivided columned cloth hall (see → idiom “go through the lobes ”).

Originally, an open trickle must have flowed from the source (about 1.5 km northwest in the Zeisigtal ) through the defensive walls and directly through the main building, which also fed three cisterns in the building, which may have been used as a water reservoir or for keeping fish. However, the openings were apparently rebuilt later. This system was only discovered during the foundation renovation in 2001. Rot in the wood and saltpeter in the walls showed up early on as significant construction defects. Apparently the cloth hall could not meet the needs either.
After the end of the Seven Years' War , the first conversion took place in 1763 by replacing the outer walls with solid stone masonry instead of wattle walls . The hall got living room suites that were equipped with stucco ceilings and stoves. They were apparently intended to serve the stay of the governor of Erfurt , Karl Wilhelm Joseph Adam Freiherr von Breidbach zu Bürresheim , the nephew of the Archbishop of Mainz Emmerich Joseph von Breidbach zu Bürresheim and his companion during hunting stays in Willrode.

As early as 1768/69 it was decided to use the forester's lodge as a hunting lodge . In order to build a second floor, the roof was lifted off and temporarily stored. A splendid hunting hall with a stucco ceiling was set up in the middle of the new upper floor. The successor in the office of governor, Karl Theodor von Dalberg , took care of the interior work from 1771. He commissioned the Bayreuth court painter Rudolf Christian Albert Zöllner to decorate the hunting hall with large-format wall paintings with hunting motifs. The building, which was inadequate from a static point of view, soon showed damage: more attention was paid to the baroque symmetry than, for example, to the aspects of building walls only on existing walls. The floor in the hunting hall soon sagged and warped by more than 20 cm.

With the end of Kurmainz (1801) and the first takeover of Erfurt by Prussia (1802), the history of the Forsthaus Willroda ended as a "hunting and pleasure palace". From then on it served as the forester's residence and office. The changing ownership did not change anything in the following years: 1802–1806 Kingdom of Prussia , 1806–1812 Domain-Gut Napoleon owned by Count Tascher de La Pagerie, from 1813 to 1945 again Prussian.

Under Oberforster Brauns, the damaged doorsteps and walls on the ground floor were replaced in 1833 , for which purpose the entire building had to be screwed up with winches so that the areas close to the ground could be renovated. The stable in the east wing was replaced by an additional living room on the ground floor. The large entrance gate was reduced to a front door.

Also in 1914/15 living space was created again from stables. The south facade was given a second entrance door, and the former cowshed adjoining the main house to the east was raised and provided with an external staircase with a gallery to access the upper floor.

The widow of the last head forester, Maria Quednau, lived in the former hunting lodge until 1992. She had to experience the increasing signs of structural decline and provided hikers with the bare essentials. After her death the house was empty. There were break-ins, theft of hunting trophies, historical shooting targets and a sundial.

Urgent conservation measures were then carried out in 1995, and the necessary general renovation of the property followed in 2001 . Most of the wall sleepers on the ground floor were renewed and both eaves of the forester's house. To improve the statics of the building, two interior walls from the first renovation phase in 1763 were moved.

When the half-timbered structure was uncovered, traces of the various construction phases were clearly visible in terms of building history. About two thirds of all half-timbered compartments were replaced with rammed earth. In 2006 the house was plastered again. After the renovation, the Thuringian Forestry Office Erfurt-Willrode has been back in the lower rooms since 2008. The neat hunting hall with the restored paintings is open to the public for cultural events.

The Thuringian Forestry Office Erfurt-Willrode is responsible for around 18,500 hectares of forests around the state capital Erfurt. The area of ​​responsibility extends from the Fahner Heights via the Erfurt Basin, which is characterized by agricultural use, to Arnstadt, Stadtilm and Kranichfeld. Thus, it extends over five different districts or cities: Ilm-Kreis , Gotha , Weimarer Land , Erfurt and Sömmerda . The forest office is divided into 11 districts and currently employs 36 permanent employees. The Thuringian Forestry Office Erfurt-Willrode (formerly Arnstadt) emerged in 2005 from the former Forestry Offices Kranichfeld and Arnstadt.

Stable and barn

The dilapidated buildings were renewed and used for club life, the barn also for selling game.

oven

The old German oven from the 17th century has been reconstructed and has become a special attraction on the monthly open day.

Lapidary

Forest house with lapidarium (in the foreground)
(See main article → Lapidarium Willrode )

Since 2009 an exhibition of Thuringian boundary stones (" Lapidarium ") has been set up on the west side of the courtyard of the property . The exhibitor is the Thuringia regional association of the German Association for Surveying - Society for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management (DVW) . There are currently (November 2011) around thirteen boundary and district stones with well-labeled explanatory boards.

House cellar

Outside the boundary wall, on the embankment of the southern moat, is the former underground cellar of the estate. It was built in the 15th century, expanded in the 18th century and renovated in 1997 by ABM groups and converted into a biotope cellar.

Well house

The former well house, which was built in the 18th century to supply water to the hunting lodge and renovated in 1997, is located near the entrance to the property.

gallery

  • Marking stone from 1776 at the entrance to the property

  • Entrance to the former house cellar

  • Former well house

literature

  • Walter Blaha : Kurmainzische absolutist rule from 1664 to 1789. In: Gutsche, Geschichte der Stadt Erfurt 1986, pp. 145-180.
  • Karsten Grobe: Forsthaus Willroda has always been a hospitable address . Thuringian newspaper, September 5, 2012.
  • Reiner Müller: The chapel of the forester's house Willroda - a Romanesque fortified church? In Castles and Palaces in Thuringia, 2001/2202, pp. 49–61.
  • Hans Schuchhardt: Willroda and the Willröder. A contribution to Thuringian homeland and family research. Erfurt 1928 (= Erfurter Genealogischer Abend. Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen. Issue 1, pp. 1–96).
  • Hans Schuchhardt: Willrode in the mirror of the history of the city of Erfurt. Göttingen undated (around 1964) (= contributions to the history of the city of Erfurt. Vol. 1).
  • Sigrid Zanotelli: The history of the Willrodaer family foundation. Erfurt 1999. In: Stadt und Geschichte 3/99, No 4, p. 16.
  • Paul Nikol Fencing Man; Johann Paul Pohle: Historical news from a Freygute called Willroda, which Freydank Hildebrand von Willroda made a majorate and donated, collected by its owners or connoisseurs up to the present day, and communicated to all interested parties for further reflection and observation. Second increased edition available from Joh. Paul Poland. Erfurt, printed by Johann Ernst Schlegel 1784. (= historical news from a Freygute called Willroda ...), Erfurt 1784 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Willroda  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Schuchardt 1964, p. 26; he refers to "Dorbencker, Urkundenbuch II, 240."
  2. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 36, reprint of the certificate p. 149.
  3. ↑ a b Schuchardt 1964, p. 42.
  4. ↑ Schuchhardt 1964, p. 52 ff., Mention of the ancestors of his relatives, Saxo and Hildebrand for the year 1212, in Wolf 2005, p. 42 f.
  5. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 38, reprint of the certificate p. 151.
  6. ↑ a b Schuchardt, 1964, p. 142.
  7. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, pp. 45, 47, 51.
  8. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 52, reprint of the certificate, p. 152–154.
  9. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 54, Blaha, Walter in: Free State of Thuringia. Chronology of the history of the Zum Güldnen Stern house , p. 1. On the occasion of Napoleon's audience, Goethe noted on October 1, 1808: “The Prince of Dessau stayed for an audience. Many gathered in the escort house. ”Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Works. Hamburg edition in 14 volumes. Edited by Erich Trunz, Volume X. Munich: Beck 1976, p. 544.
  10. ↑ Müller 2002, p. 58, Biereye, Wilhelm, 1930. p. 11. Cf. Biereye, Johannes 1937, p. 123 f.
  11. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 57, reprint of the certificate, pp. 154–156.
  12. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 61, reprint of the certificate p. 156.
  13. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 61, note 229.
  14. ↑ Schuchardt 1928, p. 14, Schuchardt 1964, p. 81, p. 86 ff., Photo of the document p. 89, reprint of the document p. 173 f.
  15. ↑ Schuchardt 1928, p. 13 The certificate is in the Erfurt City Archives. See Thuringia archive portal. Existing city documents, 01-20-2 u. 3. Willröder Family Foundation 1573, September 2/1603 May 12/1614 June 26.
  16. ↑ Zanotelli 1999, p. 16.
  17. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 94 f., Reprint of the deed of the fiefdom of the Elector of Mainz, Johann Schweickart from 1624 on p. 185-189.
  18. ↑ Schuchardt 1928, p. 13, Schuchardt 1964, p. 88 ff., Zanotelli 1999, p. 16.
  19. ↑ Schuchardt 1928, p. 13, Schuchardt 1964, p. 95, cf. Peschel 2003.
  20. ↑ Weiß 1986, p. 144, Blaha 1986, p. 146 f., Schuchardt 1964, p. 102 f.
  21. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 94 f., P. 102.
  22. ↑ Schuchardt 1928, p. 14, Schuchardt 1964, p. 115.
  23. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 108.
  24. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 110., Blaha 1986, p. 145 ff.
  25. ^ Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von: Complete Works, WA III, 1, S, 23, additions in brackets by the author. See Schuchardt 1964, p. 110.
  26. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 111.
  27. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 111 f. Benl 2008.
  28. ↑ Schuchardt 1964 p. 114.
  29. ↑ Schuchardt 1964, p. 24, Zanotelli 1999, p. 16, cf. Archive portal Thuringia. Existing Prussian District Court. Professional and professional associations / No. 31. Willröder family association 1940–1946.
  30. ↑ Karsten Grobe: Forsthaus Willroda has always been a hospitable address . Thuringian newspaper, September 5, 2012.
  31. ↑ Willroda website ( Memento of the original from September 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) 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. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.willroda.de
  32. ↑ Website: “cf. Hans Schuchardt 1928, 1964 "
  33. ↑ Website: Rainer Müller, 2003: The chapel of the forester's house Willroda - a Romanesque fortified church?
  34. ↑ Karsten Grobe: Forsthaus Willroda has always been a hospitable address . Thuringian newspaper, September 12, 2012.
  35. ^ Website of the Thuringian Forestry Office

Coordinates: 50 ° 55 '  N , 11 ° 5'  E