2023-10-05 10:35:00
Probably everyone knows that the famous Reeperbahn street is located in Hamburg, and the luxurious Unter den Linden boulevard is in Berlin. However, there is one German city in which streets with such names intersect – on a picturesque island in the middle of a lake in the forests between Lubeck, Hamburg and Schwerin.
“Watch out for ducks!”
Ratzeburg in an engraving from 1588Photo: picture alliance/akg-images
You can get to the city on the island along a dam on which there are signs warning drivers about ducks walking around here. Once upon a time the water served as a natural defensive barrier, but now Ratzeburg is home to one of the most important German rowing centers.
New face
Ratzeburg is an ancient city in Schleswig-HolsteinPhoto: SE Arndt/picture alliance/juniors/wildlife
Medieval Ratzeburg was almost completely destroyed by the Danes in 1693 – with the exception of the Romanesque cathedral and monastery. In Europe, which had just managed to recover from the hardships of the Thirty Years’ War, the Baroque era was in full swing. It was in this style that Ratzeburg was rebuilt, using the plans of Baroque Mannheim as a model.
“Under the Linden Trees”
Sign with the name of the street Unter den Linden in RatzeburgPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
After the Napoleonic Wars, Ratzeburg was ceded to Denmark. In 1819, linden trees were planted on the site of the fortifications demolished by the Danes, as the name of the street – Unter den Linden – reminds. In the second half of the same century, the city, together with the Duchy of Lauenburg, became part of Prussia. Along the shady alleys from the lake we will go to the hill with the old monastery – to where the history of the city began.
Slavic roots
Half-timbered house near the cathedralPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
One of the first mentions of Ratzeburg dates back to 1062 – in a charter from Henry IV. The document uses the name Racesburg. Historians suggest that it came from the name of the West Slavic prince Ratibor (Ratibor, Ratse) – the head of the Polabian tribe. During his reign, in this place above Lake Ratzeburg there was a fortification – ring-shaped, made of earth and logs.
Missionaries
Ratzeburg CathedralPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
The bishopric of Ratzeburg was created in 1060, and the first missionary priests appeared here much earlier. Their Benedictine monastery and the church of St. George were located not on an island, but on a mountain near the shore of the lake. On the island there was a settlement of a Slavic pagan tribe and a statue of the goddess Zhiva.
Christianization
Bell tower of Ratzeburg CathedralPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
In 1066, the pagans rebelled against missionaries who tried to destroy their temple. They burned the monastery, and stoned all the monks, along with Abbot Answer. The Slavic resistance to Christianization was broken only in 1093. At the site of their settlement on the island, a cathedral was then erected – the main church of the bishopric.
Cathedral
Brickwork of the cathedral façadePhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
In 1142, Answer was canonized and later reburied in a new cathedral, where a cycle of twelve images is dedicated to his life and martyrdom. The church in Ratzeburg is one of the oldest fully preserved late Romanesque churches in Europe (1154-1220). During the Reformation, the relics of the saint disappeared without a trace. It is assumed that they were destroyed.
Controversy
Monument to Henry the LionPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
After the Slavic uprisings, the first bishopric ceased to exist, and many years would pass before a new one was created. The second was founded in Ratzeburg only in 1154. The most important role in this was played by Duke Henry the Lion (Heinrich der Löwe), whom Emperor Frederick Barbarossa empowered to create bishoprics in the northern part of the empire.
a lion
Stained glass window in the temple Photo: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
Not only the sculpture in front of the temple, but also the stained glass window inside the church reminds of Henry the Lion. On it this Duke of Saxony and Bavaria from the Welf dynasty is depicted next to his wife. In his hands he holds a model of the cathedral. Monuments to Henry the Lion are often found in Northern Germany in the Hanseatic cities founded by him, for example, in Lübeck.
Reformation
Baroque altarPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
The history of the Catholic bishopric in Ratzeburg ended at the time of the Reformation. In 1554, the then bishop Christoph von der Schulenburg, who accepted the Protestant faith, sold the lands and property of this ecclesiastical principality to the Duke of Mecklenburg for 10 thousand thalers. The first Protestant pastor was appointed to the cathedral in 1566.
Heritage
Photograph of Ratzeburg from 1895
In 1876-81, the Prussian authorities restored the cathedral – removing later Gothic elements to restore the original Romanesque appearance of the facades. This style also determines the interior decoration, but works from later eras have also been preserved here. The last restoration took place in the middle of the last century – on the 1000th anniversary of the death of Saint Ansver.
Entry allowed
Sign at the entrance to the monastery and the window of the bypass galleryPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
After getting acquainted with the cathedral, the path leads to the monastery. Visitors can explore the bypass gallery – the cloister (Kreuzgang), as well as the courtyard. A carved sign at the entrance warns that the monastery is a monument, is under state protection and asks you not to forget that you are a guest: “Nimm auch Du sie in acht”…
Ratzeburg and Ganza
Monastery wallPhoto: DW / Nelioubin
The monastery is similar to the monasteries of Hanseatic cities, which is not surprising, because Ratzeburg was located on the Old Salt Route from Luneburg to Lübeck.
“Kanatchikova street”
Reeperbahn Street Photo: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
The Reeperbahn street reminds us of the medieval city crafts in Ratzeburg. Reepschläger – this is what in ancient times they called those who wove ropes to equip ships, that is, ropemakers.
Premonstrants
Monastery GardenPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
The abbey of the Premonstratensian Order was erected near Ratzeburg Cathedral in the 13th century. This Catholic order, founded in 1120, played an important role in the Christianization of the Slavic lands between the Elbe and Oder. In the middle of the 14th century there were more than 1,300 of his monasteries in Europe. The order was banned in Germany during the Reformation. Now there are about 80 of its abbeys in the world.
Saint Answer
Fragment of a fresco in the bypass galleryPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
The Premonstrants continued in Ratzeburg the work begun by the Benedictines and Saint Answer. A zealous apostle of Christianity, he entered a monastery against the will of his father, a representative of a wealthy Saxon family who occupied a high military post. He entered the Benedictine monastery in Ratzeburg at the age of 15.
The Monk’s Way
Walkthrough galleryPhoto: Stefan Ziese/picture alliance/imageBROKER
Answer was born in Schleswig. His father was a knight, and his mother was a deeply religious Christian. One day he had a dream in which he was an abbot. The young man went to Ratzeburg supposedly to visit his uncle, but did not return, took monastic vows and became a priest. His zeal and zealous observance of the rules of the Benedictine Order did not always find support and understanding among other brothers.
Ascetic
Saint AnsverPhoto: cc-by-sa-Niteshift
Ansver led an ascetic lifestyle, spent a lot of time in solitude and prayer, fasted, and carried out acts of self-flagellation. Sometimes it even seemed to other monks that he had lost his mind, and the abbot removed him from his duties as a priest several times. However, after the death of the old abbot, it was Answer who was chosen as his successor.
Abbot
Window to the courtyardPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
One day one of the monks violated the rules of the order. Abbot Answer turned to God with a question of what to do, and saw a rod in the sky. He carried out the punishment. When the offender gave up the ghost, the rod allegedly turned into a candle… The pagans tolerated the presence of monks. One of the leaders had already converted to Christianity, but as soon as Ansver decided to destroy the temple, the world ended.
Martyr for the faith
Frescoes in the bypass galleryPhoto: DW/Maksim Nelioubin
Earlier, in the city of Lenzen, the Slavic prince Gottschalk, the founder of the Vendian state, who accepted the new faith, was killed. Monks in Ratzeburg were executed by stoning. Abbot Ansver asked to be the last, in order to remain with his brothers until the end, to help them not to give up their faith. Dying, he asked the Almighty not to punish sinners.
P.S.
Ratzeburg Cathedral at nightPhoto: Fotolia/Ole Ohrt
Other Ratzeburg attractions that you can visit in this city include the museum of the outstanding German artist Ernst Barlach, located in the house where he spent part of his childhood, as well as the Paul Weber Museum – the famous lithographer and cartoonist
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