Museum in the armory (Vechta)
Museum im Zeughaus is the name of a historical museum in Vechta . It is located on the grounds of the Citadel Park in the armory of the former citadel . The armory and the caponier , which today stands in the middle of Vechta city center, are the only remaining buildings of the citadel, which was razed in 1769 .
The museum run by the city of Vechta was opened in 1997. Every year around 40,000 visitors take advantage of the museum in the Zeughaus (including the events). Since the outdoor events do not cost admission, more precise figures are not possible.
History of the building
The 33 meter long, 13 meter wide and 7.50 meter high two-story brick house with a loft was completed in 1698. It is the oldest surviving military structure in the Principality of Münster . The house replaced a one-story half - timbered building that was built in 1670 . The bomb-proof new building was designed in such a way that it was to withstand the bombardment by heavy artillery through an extremely solid brick masonry with massive external supports and a double groin vault supported by massive buttresses on each floor . The stones from the broken office building on the former castle were used for the foundation. The building consists of a total of 432,500 bricks, field stones and sandstones. The coat of arms of the client, Prince-Bishop Friedrich Christian von Plettenberg (term of office 1688 to 1705), is embedded above the portal on the east side.
After the citadel was razed, the armory was initially used as a granary. From 1816 to 1991 it was used for penal purposes and during the Nazi era it was also used to house forced laborers . The external appearance of the listed armory has hardly changed since its construction. In particular, the damage caused by a bomb hit in 1944 had to be repaired.
concept
On over 1000 m² on three floors, a variety of historical presentations and hands-on activities on the Stone Age , Medieval and Baroque world, as well as the historical penal system and the city's history are shown. A baking house has been built behind the museum building. There are also exhibits outside of the museum, e.g. B. Fighting machines.
The museum works closely with the Center for Experimental Middle Ages , which is located in the museum. The museum is committed to the concept of “history you can touch”. Everywhere in its rooms it offers visitors the opportunity to touch exhibits, i.e. to understand them in the literal sense, and to participate.
The museum contributes to the research of regional and medieval history. It follows the approach of “comparative regional research”, accompanies excavations and preserves, documents and researches their findings as well as its own collections. It issues its own publications.
First center for the experimental Middle Ages
The museum houses the First Center for Experimental Middle Ages (ZEM), an institution of the city of Vechta founded in 2001 . It has set itself the task of researching medieval life, also through “ learning by doing ”, and to present it to the public in a serious manner. The center follows the Anglo-Saxon tradition of medievalism . The ZEM works closely with the University of Vechta to maintain the scientific standards . On June 3 and 4, 2010, the University of Vechta organized a conference on the subject of “Medievalism in the field of tension between science, museum and popular historical culture” in the rooms of the museum in the Zeughaus.
ZEM projects
Charles boat
In 2009 a “Karlsboot” from the time of Charlemagne was rebuilt, which has since been seen on the citadel park's moat . The boat has a length of 9.20 m and a width of 1.80 m. The archaeological model of this object is in the German Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven . This was found in 1989 in Bremen as a fragment in a construction pit on Martinistraße.
Arms of Saint Alexander
In the provost Church of St. George in Vechta be a relic of the arms of the Saint Alexander kept. These are covered with a Byzantine silk fabric from the 8th or 9th century. This fabric was rewoven by master weaver Doris Arendholz on behalf of ZEM. The fabric replicas are presented in the permanent exhibition "Middle Ages" in the museum in the armory, together with the written report on the translatio and miracle of the Alexander relics around 850. This part of the permanent exhibition highlights the importance of the missionary work of the Saxons by the Wildeshauser descendants of Widukind .
Pit houses
During excavations in Holdorf and Endel in 2006 a large number of mine houses were found. Pit houses served in the Middle Ages as pantries or as craft production facilities. Such production facilities, e.g. In the Middle Ages, for example, at fords like in Vechta, there were repeated approaches for later settlement. To the great surprise, an almost completely preserved stone oven was found in a pit house at the Endel excavation. This could be completely recovered and secured in situ with the help of the state archeology. This find gave the impetus not only to present the stone oven to the public in a museum, but also to reconstruct the corresponding pit houses that are currently under construction. The presentation of three pit houses outside the museum is planned: the workshop of a bone carver, a weaving house and a pit house with a stone oven.
Castrum Vechtense
The most ambitious project of the Center for Experimental Middle Ages is the replica of the historic Vechta Castle in the northeast of the citadel grounds under the project name Castrum Vechtense . The reconstruction should take place in several stages; Work on the first section began in spring 2012. The three islands on which the castle is to stand have now been completed. On September 28, 2013, at the end of the first construction phase, the 13-meter-high tower of the castle , made of 48 cubic meters of raw oak , was inaugurated as part of the Burgmannen Days.
Line up of iron figures
In 2016, the city presented a LEADER project developed by the Museum in the Armory with the official title “Explanation of the historic Parkanalage Citadel Vechta - Tourist and Educational Valuation”. The project was justified by the fact that "[in] the Vechta Citadel Park [...] there is currently a lack of explanations and information about the historical significance of the extensive complex that visitors and school classes can work out for themselves outside of guided hikes through the museum." The implementation of the project consists in the fact that iron figures were set up scattered over the site, depicting scenes of soldier life. "The figures are intended to represent a connecting element between the previously isolated museum areas 'Museum in the Armory', the 'Citadel Park' and the 'Castrum Vechtense'."
Cooperations
The museum in the armory works closely with the district museum in Syke within the framework of “comparative regional research” . The director of the museum, Axel Fahl-Dreger, worked as a co-author of the pilgrimage guide “The Baltic-Westphalian Way of the Pilgrims between Bremen and Osnabrück” published by the “German St. James Society” . The museum in the armory also works closely with the University of Vechta .
The museum in the armory is a station on the pit stop route , a holiday route that runs through the entire Oldenburger Münsterland .
Events
Scientific and cultural events take place in the rooms of the museum. The museum's offerings include “Excursions into the Middle Ages, encounters with fairy tale characters, café afternoons, a vineyard festival, exhibitions, lectures”.
The University of Vechta organizes lecture series in the museum in the armory .
The Center for Experimental Middle Ages regularly organizes courses in the museum in the armory . Those interested can learn how to make objects using materials and techniques that were already available to people in medieval Central Europe. In addition, there are courses to learn about fencing , cooking, singing and dancing in the Middle Ages and Renaissance . The sustainability of the learning and social process is strengthened by doing things together and exchanging knowledge and skills among the participants. The ZEM thus forms an important interface between science / university research and the public.
Since 2010, the ZEM has been organizing a barbarian market in front of the museum during Advent .
Every year in front of the museum, the “StadtgARTen” country party takes place at the beginning of June and the “Weinbergfest” takes place at the beginning of September.
Burgmannen days
The most important event of the Center for Experimental Middle Ages are the Burgmannen Days, which take place every year at the end of September , a medieval market on the entire area of the Citadel Park Vechta. The Burgmannen Days are named after the defenders of Vechta Castle, which was razed in the 17th century , and were held for the first time in 1999. The Burgmannen Days are the only medieval festival in northern Germany with free admission.
The name of the event goes back to the Burgmannen College in Vechta. It was initially intended as a protection team for the castle, but was given expanded functions through the sale of the Ravensberg county rights to the Duchy of Münster in 1252. From then on it represented the prince-bishop in his business in Vechta. In Vechta a total of 22 Burgmannenhöfe should be detectable. Up to 51 Burgmannen were members in the heyday of the body. It was not until 1806 that the college was finally dissolved.
During the Burgmannen days , u. a. performed the following actions:
- Depictions and actions on everyday life in the Middle Ages in the army camps and the craftsmen's stands (e.g. bath house, rope making, falconry etc.)
- a simulated citizen conquest, the "storm on the palisades"
- the "battle of the free knights"
- Medieval music performances
- a fashion show on 13th century robes
- a fire show
- an archery tournament
- Participation stands for children and young people
literature
- Mark Feuerle: Blide - Mange - Trebuchet: Technology, development and effect of the projectile gun in the Middle Ages . A study on the history of medieval innovation, (publications by the 1st Center for Experimental Middle Ages, Vechta, Volume 1), ISBN 978-3-928186-78-0 .
Web links
- Homepage of the museum in the armory
- Museum in the Armory: Annual Report 2011 (p. 42-47)
- Axel Fahl-Dreger: The museum in the armory . In: Verbund Oldenburger Münsterland: Arguments 2013 , pp. 248–252 (PDF; 21.8 MB)
Individual evidence
- ^ Rudolf Reinhardt: City Guide Vechta . Plaggenborg Verlag Vechta. 1995, pp. 74f.
- ^ Museum in the armory: model
- ^ Museum in the Armory: Publications and series of publications by the Museum in the Armory ( Memento of the original from January 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Specialist working group H-Soz-u-Kult of the Humboldt University Berlin: Conference "Mediävalism in the area of tension between science, museum and popular historical culture"
- ^ Medieval Centrum Vechta The medieval river boat
- ↑ Middle Ages Center Vechta: Reproduction of the Alexander fabric (Byzantium 8th / 9th century)
- ↑ Peter Kratzmann: Relic plays an enormous role in Wildeshausen ( Memento of the original from January 23, 2012 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. . Northwest Newspaper . January 19, 2012
- ↑ Mittelalter Centrum Vechta: Reproduction of three pit houses in the direct vicinity of the museum in the armory
- ↑ LEADER Vechta: Explanation of the historical park area Citadel Vechta - Touristic and educational valuation
- ↑ Museum in the Armory: The concept of “comparative regional research” on museums ( Memento of the original from July 1, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Christoph Floren: History, knowledge and experience - annual program in and around the armory on the Vechta Citadel ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Northwest Newspaper . February 1, 2012
- ^ Museum in the Armory: Model of the Historical Museum in the Armory City of Vechta: Historical - Experimental - Vivid - Comprehensive
- ↑ Vechta Middle Ages Center Barbaramarkt in Vechta
- ↑ Christoph Floren: Vechtaer Barbaramarkt as a project with perspective ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Northwest Newspaper . December 13, 2011
- ↑ First Center for Experimental Middle Ages: That was the Burgmannen Days 2011 ( Memento of the original from September 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ First Center for Experimental Middle Ages: Burgmannen-Tage ( Memento of the original from January 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 52 ° 43 ′ 35.8 " N , 8 ° 16 ′ 39.9" E