Schöneberg (Hofgeismar)
Encyclopedia
Schöneberg is a village and a municipal district
of the town of Hofgeismar
in the district of Kassel
in northern Hesse
, Germany. West of the village, there are the ruins of a castle dating from the 12th century that bears the same name.
and is home to 600 residents. The German Bundesstraße
83 between Kassel and Bremen
runs through town.
in the Diemel
and upper Weser area built a fortress on top of a mountain 323 metres (1,059.7 ft) high, just west of where the village stands today. Today, the castle stands in ruins.
in northern Hesse
and bore the title nobilis
Dominus
. Their domain stretched through scattered seats from Schöneberg to the Reinhardswald
. The castle was built by Count Hermann II of Winzenburg
.
In the 12th century, the archbishopric of Mainz hired them to guard and defend
Schöneberg castle. After the death of Hermann II, margrave of Meissen, they were given fiefdom
rights as well and the castle became their family seat
. The counts of Dassel
held Schöneberg as a fiefdom
from circa
1220 to 1273.
In the 13th century, the counts tried to extend their territory. As a part of their strategy, they founded villages in the Reinhardswald
, between the Diemel river and the Solling
. At the same time, conflicts emerged with the archbishops of Mainz and prince-bishops of Paderborn, as well as with the landgraves of Hesse
. At the urging of the people of Hofgeismar, Ludolf VI sold Schöneberg castle to the archbishopric of Mainz in 1272 and with it, the jurisdiction
over numerous localities, which were later abandoned
. The sale ended the reign of the counts of Dassel over the Reinhardswald, which they had had for decades. This caused a dispute between Ludolf VI and his brother, Adolf V, who was firmly against the sale and refused to approve it. The deed
of sale was prepared in 1273 and Ludolf VI put it in writing that he would continue to fight him, if he did not relent.
The lords then moved to Trendelburg
castle. A lack of heirs caused them to disappear in the beginning of the 15th century.
gave them land around Hofgeismar to build new settlements after they had been expelled from France by the Edict of Fontainebleau
in 1685. Likewise, were Waldensians
also welcomed to settle in the region after they were expelled in 1698 by Louis XIV
.
The village of Schöneberg came into being after Charles I picked a site for a new colony to be built on the land of a former village, which was first mentioned in historical documents in 965. Building began in 1700. Paul du Ry, also a Hugenot and refugee, was responsible for planning. In 1685, Charles I appointed him court architect.
The half-timbered church was built from 1705-06. David Clément was the pastor
until his death. Clément dies on January 29, 1725 in Hofgeismar. From 1686, Clément had been pastor of the French Reformed Church
congregation at the Neustädter church in Hofgeismar.
There were 24 founding families in Schöneberg. Because of the high mortality rate of children at that time, their numbers did not show significant increase until the 1779 census
, when a total of 124 people in 28 families were counted.
The main income of the village was from farming, but over the course of time, other trades and businesses were established, including a brickworks, a few potteries, two tailors, two shoemakers, a hosier and a soap maker.
In 1730, the route of the Bremen post road
was moved from passing through a neighboring village to passing through Schöneberg, apparently to improve travel to new baths at Hofgeismar. This change may have altered the development of the village. By the time of the 1779 census, there were already 12 German families living in Schöneberg, as well as 16 French households. The special status accorded to villages founded by French religious refugees was abolished by a landgrave regulation in 1822.
Municipal district
A municipal district is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly referring to a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them....
of the town of Hofgeismar
Hofgeismar
Hofgeismar is a town in the district of Kassel, in northern Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km north of Kassel on the German Framework Road.-External links:*...
in the district of Kassel
Kassel (district)
Kassel is a Kreis in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighboring districts are Northeim, Göttingen, Werra-Meißner, Schwalm-Eder, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Höxter...
in northern Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany. West of the village, there are the ruins of a castle dating from the 12th century that bears the same name.
Geography
Schöneberg is a straßendorf, a village that straddles a main road. Schöneberg lies on the western edge of the ReinhardswaldReinhardswald
The Reinhardswald is a range of hills up to and covering an area of over 200 km² in the Weser Uplands in the district of Kassel, Hesse...
and is home to 600 residents. The German Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
83 between Kassel and Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
runs through town.
Castle
To exert their power and influence, and for protection, in the early part of the 12th century, the archbishops of MainzArchbishopric of Mainz
The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
in the Diemel
Diemel
The Diemel is a river in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, left tributary of the Weser. Its source is near Willingen, in Sauerland. The Diemel flows generally northeast through the towns Marsberg, Warburg and Trendelburg. It flows into the Weser in Bad Karlshafen. The total length of the...
and upper Weser area built a fortress on top of a mountain 323 metres (1,059.7 ft) high, just west of where the village stands today. Today, the castle stands in ruins.
Lords of Schöneberg
The lords of Schöneberg appeared in the High Middle AgesHigh Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
in northern Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
and bore the title nobilis
Nobilis
Nobilis is a contemporary fantasy role-playing game created by Jenna K. Moran, writing under the name R. Sean Borgstrom. The player characters are "Sovereign Powers" called the Nobilis; each Noble is the personification of an abstract concept or class of things such as Time, Death, cars, or...
Dominus
Dominus (title)
Dominus is the Latin word for master or owner. As a title of sovereignty the term under the Roman Republic had all the associations of the Greek Tyrannos; refused during the early principate, it finally became an official title of the Roman Emperors under Diocletian...
. Their domain stretched through scattered seats from Schöneberg to the Reinhardswald
Reinhardswald
The Reinhardswald is a range of hills up to and covering an area of over 200 km² in the Weser Uplands in the district of Kassel, Hesse...
. The castle was built by Count Hermann II of Winzenburg
Winzenburg
Winzenburg is a municipality in the district of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, Germany. It comprises four smaller communities, including the village of Winzenburg, which dates from the Middle Ages. Winzenburg is located in the Leinebergland to the north of Bad Gandersheim, between the national parks...
.
In the 12th century, the archbishopric of Mainz hired them to guard and defend
Burgmann
A Burgmann was a member of the low aristocracy in the Middle Ages who guarded and defended castles. They were hired by a lord of the castle to take on the burghut, the guarding and defense of a castle....
Schöneberg castle. After the death of Hermann II, margrave of Meissen, they were given fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
rights as well and the castle became their family seat
Family seat
A seat or family seat is the principal residence of a family. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families took their dynasty name from their family seat , or named their family seat after their own dynasty...
. The counts of Dassel
County of Dassel
The County of Dassel emerged shortly after the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries when, after the extinction of the male line of the Billungs, its seat in Suilbergau, north of the Solling hills was divided into the domains of Einbeck and Dassel. Reinold of Dassel was able to secure rights...
held Schöneberg as a fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
from circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1220 to 1273.
In the 13th century, the counts tried to extend their territory. As a part of their strategy, they founded villages in the Reinhardswald
Reinhardswald
The Reinhardswald is a range of hills up to and covering an area of over 200 km² in the Weser Uplands in the district of Kassel, Hesse...
, between the Diemel river and the Solling
Solling
The Solling is a range of hills up to high in the Weser Uplands in the German state of Lower Saxony, whose extreme southerly foothills extend into Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia....
. At the same time, conflicts emerged with the archbishops of Mainz and prince-bishops of Paderborn, as well as with the landgraves of Hesse
Landgraviate of Hesse
The Landgraviate of Hesse was a Landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a unity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided between the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.-History:...
. At the urging of the people of Hofgeismar, Ludolf VI sold Schöneberg castle to the archbishopric of Mainz in 1272 and with it, the jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
over numerous localities, which were later abandoned
Abandoned village
An abandoned village is a village that has, for some reason, been deserted. In many countries, and throughout history, thousands of villages were deserted for a variety of causes...
. The sale ended the reign of the counts of Dassel over the Reinhardswald, which they had had for decades. This caused a dispute between Ludolf VI and his brother, Adolf V, who was firmly against the sale and refused to approve it. The deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
of sale was prepared in 1273 and Ludolf VI put it in writing that he would continue to fight him, if he did not relent.
The lords then moved to Trendelburg
Trendelburg
Trendelburg is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany with a population of 5,282 on 30 September 2009. It is situated on the river Diemel, north of Kassel.The town is twinned with Pocklington, England....
castle. A lack of heirs caused them to disappear in the beginning of the 15th century.
Village
The village of Schöneberg was founded in 1699 by French Hugenots. Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-KasselCharles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
Karl I was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1670 till his death.Born at Kassel, he was the son of Wilhelm VI of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg, daughter of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg. After the early death of his father, his mother ruled as regent until 1675...
gave them land around Hofgeismar to build new settlements after they had been expelled from France by the Edict of Fontainebleau
Edict of Fontainebleau
The Edict of Fontainebleau was an edict issued by Louis XIV of France, also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes of 1598, had granted the Huguenots the right to practice their religion without persecution from the state...
in 1685. Likewise, were Waldensians
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
also welcomed to settle in the region after they were expelled in 1698 by Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
.
The village of Schöneberg came into being after Charles I picked a site for a new colony to be built on the land of a former village, which was first mentioned in historical documents in 965. Building began in 1700. Paul du Ry, also a Hugenot and refugee, was responsible for planning. In 1685, Charles I appointed him court architect.
The half-timbered church was built from 1705-06. David Clément was the pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
until his death. Clément dies on January 29, 1725 in Hofgeismar. From 1686, Clément had been pastor of the French Reformed Church
Reformed Church of France
The Reformed Church of France is a denomination in France with Calvinist origins. It is the original and largest Protestant denomination in France....
congregation at the Neustädter church in Hofgeismar.
There were 24 founding families in Schöneberg. Because of the high mortality rate of children at that time, their numbers did not show significant increase until the 1779 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, when a total of 124 people in 28 families were counted.
The main income of the village was from farming, but over the course of time, other trades and businesses were established, including a brickworks, a few potteries, two tailors, two shoemakers, a hosier and a soap maker.
In 1730, the route of the Bremen post road
Post road
For other uses, see Post Road .A post road is a road designated for the transportation of postal mail. In past centuries only major towns had a post house, and the roads used by post riders or mail coaches to carry mail among them were particularly important ones or, due to the special attention...
was moved from passing through a neighboring village to passing through Schöneberg, apparently to improve travel to new baths at Hofgeismar. This change may have altered the development of the village. By the time of the 1779 census, there were already 12 German families living in Schöneberg, as well as 16 French households. The special status accorded to villages founded by French religious refugees was abolished by a landgrave regulation in 1822.
Sources
- Albert Fraustadt, Geschichte des Geschlechtes von Schönberg Meissnischen Stammes, Vol. 1 Google Books. Verlag von Giesecke & Devrient, Leipzig (1869) beginning p. 566
- Kreis Hofgeismar, Handbuch des Heimatbundes für Kurhessen, Waldeck und Oberhessen III, Marburg/Lahn (1966) p. 192
- Rudolf Knappe, Mittelalterliche Burgen in Hessen, Gudensberg-Gleichen (1995)
- Jochen Desel, Französische Dörfer - deutsche Zuwanderer 1669-1779: 300 Jahre Kelze und Schöneberg, Band II, Hofgeismar (1999)