Cappenberg Castle
Encyclopedia
Cappenberg Castle is a former Premonstratensian
monastery, Cappenberg Abbey (Kloster Cappenberg) in Cappenberg, a part of Selm
, North Rhine-Westphalia
in Germany
. It stands on an elevation, the Cappenberg, near Lünen
and Werne
, and is a vantage point offering views over the eastern Ruhrgebiet.
In the castle grounds is a water tower constructed in 1899, now a protected monument, which was restored in 1992. The approach from the north-west to the main gate is marked by two stone lions on pedestals, standing at the entrance to an avenue between clipped oak
s. On the adjacent castle grounds are a wildlife reserve and a bird of prey sanctuary.
, when they supported Duke Lothar von Supplinburg against Emperor Heinrich V
, Count Gottfried von Cappenberg and his brother Otto von Cappenberg led their armies in February 1121 under the leadership of Duke Lothar against Münster
. A great part of the town was destroyed, and the old cathedral was burnt down. Before the Emperor could bring them to trial for violation of the peace of the realm, Gottfried – either out of genuine repentance or out of fear of the Imperial judgment - gave the greater part of his estates in Westphalia to the founder of the Premonstratensian Order, Norbert of Xanten
, renounced worldly life and withdrew into a monastery, where, according to contemporary custom, he was immune from punishment.
After the ratification of the Concordat of Worms
in 1122 he reappeared as Gottfried II, last Count of Cappenberg (afterwards better known as Saint Gottfried). Against the wishes of his family he founded in his ancestral castle on the Cappenberg a Premonstratensian monastery, Cappenberg Abbey (Kloster Cappenberg). For his wife, Ida, daughter of Count Friedrich von Arnsberg, and his sisters Gerberga and Beatrix, he built a nunnery next door.
The monastery was economically successful, and accumulated considerable wealth, as may to some extent still be seen from the surviving abbey church. The monastery was largely destroyed during the Thirty Years' War
. The present Baroque
premises in three ranges were built from 1708 onwards.
After an existence of almost 700 years the monastery was dissolved in 1803 and became an estate of the Prussian crown
. After periods under the rule of France and of the Duchy of Berg, the estate was regained in 1815 by Prussia and in 1816 was acquired by the former Minister of State the Baron vom Stein, who renovated the buildings and thus preserved them from dereliction.
After the extinction of the family von und zum Stein the estate was inherited in 1926 by the family of the Counts of Kanitz.
During World War II
Cappenberg Castle served as a place of safety to protect works of art from Allied bombing, including the collections of the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Dortmund
("Dortmund Museum of Art and Cultural History"), which were stored here, along with art treasures from various destroyed churches of Westphalia, as for example the Marienaltar by Conrad von Soest
from the Marienkirche in Dortmund
.
From 1946 the collection of the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte was exhibited at Cappenberg Castle. The return of the collection to Dortmund did not take place until the opening of the new museum building in 1983.
In 1985 the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe ("Landscape Society of Westfalen-Lippe") and the local authority of Kreis Unna rented rooms in the castle and converted them for use as a museum. Since then, in conjunction with the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, various exhibitions have been held here. In the west wing the archives of Freiherr vom Stein, who lived at Cappenberg Castle from 1824 until his death in 1831, are kept and left not only his own papers but also the archives of the former monastery. In the former abbey church is a portrait bust of the period around 1160 of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa out of gilt bronze.
Nowadays Cappenberg Castle is an excursion destination, with a museum, and is part of the Route der Industriekultur ("Industry Heritage Trail"). Art exhibitions and concerts are regularly held there.
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
monastery, Cappenberg Abbey (Kloster Cappenberg) in Cappenberg, a part of Selm
Selm
Selm is a town in the district of Unna, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 kilometers north of Dortmund and 25 kilometers west of Hamm.- Geography :The town belongs to the southern part of the Münsterland...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It stands on an elevation, the Cappenberg, near Lünen
Lünen
Lünen or Luenen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located north of Dortmund along the Lippe River. It is the largest town of the Unna district, and part of the green Münster area....
and Werne
Werne
Werne is a town in the Federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Unna district in Germany. It is located on the southern edge of the Münsterland region near the Ruhrgebiet...
, and is a vantage point offering views over the eastern Ruhrgebiet.
In the castle grounds is a water tower constructed in 1899, now a protected monument, which was restored in 1992. The approach from the north-west to the main gate is marked by two stone lions on pedestals, standing at the entrance to an avenue between clipped oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s. On the adjacent castle grounds are a wildlife reserve and a bird of prey sanctuary.
History
The Counts of Cappenberg, who were related to the Salians and the Staufers, were a rich and powerful family. During the Investiture ControversyInvestiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
, when they supported Duke Lothar von Supplinburg against Emperor Heinrich V
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
, Count Gottfried von Cappenberg and his brother Otto von Cappenberg led their armies in February 1121 under the leadership of Duke Lothar against Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
. A great part of the town was destroyed, and the old cathedral was burnt down. Before the Emperor could bring them to trial for violation of the peace of the realm, Gottfried – either out of genuine repentance or out of fear of the Imperial judgment - gave the greater part of his estates in Westphalia to the founder of the Premonstratensian Order, Norbert of Xanten
Norbert of Xanten
Saint Norbert of Xanten was a Christian saint and founder of the Norbertine or Premonstratensian order of canons regular.- Life and work :...
, renounced worldly life and withdrew into a monastery, where, according to contemporary custom, he was immune from punishment.
After the ratification of the Concordat of Worms
Concordat of Worms
The Concordat of Worms, sometimes called the Pactum Calixtinum by papal historians, was an agreement between Pope Calixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V on September 23, 1122 near the city of Worms...
in 1122 he reappeared as Gottfried II, last Count of Cappenberg (afterwards better known as Saint Gottfried). Against the wishes of his family he founded in his ancestral castle on the Cappenberg a Premonstratensian monastery, Cappenberg Abbey (Kloster Cappenberg). For his wife, Ida, daughter of Count Friedrich von Arnsberg, and his sisters Gerberga and Beatrix, he built a nunnery next door.
The monastery was economically successful, and accumulated considerable wealth, as may to some extent still be seen from the surviving abbey church. The monastery was largely destroyed during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. The present Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
premises in three ranges were built from 1708 onwards.
After an existence of almost 700 years the monastery was dissolved in 1803 and became an estate of the Prussian crown
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. After periods under the rule of France and of the Duchy of Berg, the estate was regained in 1815 by Prussia and in 1816 was acquired by the former Minister of State the Baron vom Stein, who renovated the buildings and thus preserved them from dereliction.
After the extinction of the family von und zum Stein the estate was inherited in 1926 by the family of the Counts of Kanitz.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Cappenberg Castle served as a place of safety to protect works of art from Allied bombing, including the collections of the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Dortmund
Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte
The Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte or MKK is a municipal museum in Dortmund, Germany. It is currently located in an Art Deco building which was formerly the Dortmund Savings Bank....
("Dortmund Museum of Art and Cultural History"), which were stored here, along with art treasures from various destroyed churches of Westphalia, as for example the Marienaltar by Conrad von Soest
Conrad von Soest
Conrad von Soest, also Konrad in modern texts, or in Middle High German Conrad van Sost or "von Soyst", Conrad von Soest, also Konrad in modern texts, or in Middle High German Conrad van Sost or "von Soyst", Conrad von Soest, also Konrad in modern texts, or in Middle High German Conrad van Sost...
from the Marienkirche in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
.
From 1946 the collection of the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte was exhibited at Cappenberg Castle. The return of the collection to Dortmund did not take place until the opening of the new museum building in 1983.
In 1985 the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe ("Landscape Society of Westfalen-Lippe") and the local authority of Kreis Unna rented rooms in the castle and converted them for use as a museum. Since then, in conjunction with the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz, various exhibitions have been held here. In the west wing the archives of Freiherr vom Stein, who lived at Cappenberg Castle from 1824 until his death in 1831, are kept and left not only his own papers but also the archives of the former monastery. In the former abbey church is a portrait bust of the period around 1160 of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa out of gilt bronze.
Nowadays Cappenberg Castle is an excursion destination, with a museum, and is part of the Route der Industriekultur ("Industry Heritage Trail"). Art exhibitions and concerts are regularly held there.
Sources and external links
- Die Stiftung Cappenbergs, poem by Annette von Droste-HülshoffAnnette von Droste-HülshoffAnna Elisabeth von Droste-Hülshoff, known as Annette von Droste-Hülshoff , was a 19th century German author, and one of the most important German poets.-Biography:...
(Project Gutenberg)