2023-06-16 17:37:00
The Lüneburg Heath stretches between Hamburg, Hanover and Wolfsburg. Heather, meadow flowers, juniper… In addition to natural beauties, there are many architectural monuments of the Middle Ages, for example, a completely preserved leper colony. On the way to it, we will look into the monastery and stop near the village … cathedral.
During the Neolithic
The wasteland got its name from Lüneburg. It arose in the Neolithic era, when the ancient forests as a result of human activities began to be replaced by fields and meadows.
Until the beginning of the 19th century, heaths were characteristic landscapes of the northern part of Germany, but later their area was significantly reduced. The wasteland is far from empty…
Women’s abode
Lune Monastery (Luene Monastery) is located just two kilometers from Lüneburg. A couple of hours before sunset, visitors are greeted by textbook monastic silence. This convent was founded in 1172. Before the Reformation, it belonged to the Catholic Order of St. Benedict.
gothic monument
In the first two centuries of its existence, the monastery burned several times. In 1372 it was practically rebuilt. The current Gothic buildings date back to the 15th-16th centuries. Everything has been preserved in excellent condition, since life did not stop within these walls, although the monastery has long ceased to be a Catholic monastery.
Protestant faith
The Reformation that swept Northern Germany in the 16th century did not bypass the monastery. The first service in German instead of Latin took place in 1528, but the new Protestant faith and rules were finally accepted here only after more than thirty years. The monastery managed to maintain its independence until the beginning of the 18th century.
For noble maidens
In 1711, by order of Duke George of Hanover, the monastery was closed, and instead a Protestant women’s institute was created for unmarried daughters from local noble families. The duke himself, by the way, in a few years will become the first representative of the Hanoverian dynasty on the British throne – King George I.
Modern monastery
Today, the monastery belongs to an evangelical women’s community headed by an abbess, that is, it is a kind of Protestant monastery, which does not contradict the teachings of Martin Luther in his modern interpretation. The first such communities appeared in the middle of the 19th century. The reason for their occurrence was the social and social problems in the course of industrialization.
Protestant vows
Now in Germany there are about 120 evangelical order communities. One in three lives by rules similar to those in Catholic monasteries, including vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The first evangelical community with a strict charter was founded in 1947 in Darmstadt.
Excursions
Guests are greeted by a hall with a fountain, then – a bypass gallery with stained-glass windows of the XIV-XVII centuries. Of particular interest are the refectory and cells with wall paintings, equipped after the Reformation, as well as the monastery church of 1410 with a Gothic altar and a Baroque organ.
Council without bishoprics
Just six kilometers from the Lühne monastery is Bardovik, which was one of the most important trading centers in Northern Germany about a thousand years ago. Bardovik was to become the center of the Catholic bishopric. They even managed to build their own cathedral church here – Bardowicker Dom.
There was a city here
But these plans were not destined to come true. The beginning of the decline of Bardovik was laid by Henry the Lion, who destroyed this city for disobedience in 1189. Only the church and chapels were not touched. In the XIV century, Bardovik was called a village, and then – a town. At the same time, he received city rights in 972, and the perimeter of his earthen rampart was once 1700 by 750 meters.
Trade
The first written mention of Bardovik dates back to 795. According to one version, the name comes from the Lombard tribe. In the 9th century, it became the main center of trade with the Slavs, an outpost of the Christianization of the eastern lands. Later, boatmen from Bardovik transported salt from Lüneburg to Lübeck along the Ilmenau River, participating in the economic life of the Hanseatic League.
Leprosy
It was during the Hanseatic times that this brick Gothic church appeared in Bardovik – a temple at the courtyard of St. Nicholas, and the courtyard itself – St. Nikolaihof. It is located, let’s say, on the outskirts, surrounded by forest and gives the impression of just a paradise, a quiet corner, even against the backdrop of the general calmness of the Lüneburg Heath. At first, a leper colony was located here, and then a shelter for the poor.
Unique monument
The leper colony belonged to Lüneburg. Among the trustees were members of the city council and even burgomasters. The first mention is dated 1251. The uniqueness of the farmstead is that it has been preserved with all the buildings and infrastructure. From other leper colonies in Germany, at best, churches remained.
By the big road
The leper colony was an almshouse, but a self-sustaining almshouse. These hospitals, reminiscent of monasteries in their charter and strict routine, were often built near important roads. In this case, near the Ilmenau waterway and the road from Lübeck via Hamburg to Frankfurt am Main. Leprosy patients collected alms from passing merchants, but this was not the only source of income for the hospital.
Leper colony owned arable land and pastures, which were leased. He also owned shares in the salt mine in Lüneburg. Patients with leprosy lived according to a strict schedule, with common meals and prayers. Lepers had no right to leave the territory without permission, and upon admission to the hospital they made a vow of abstinence.
Dormitories
The leprosarium was divided into male and female halves. A massive brick house with a high roof – the Old Men’s Dormitory of 1316. The roof has been preserved in its original state, as is the medieval building itself. A small half-timbered building on the left is the New Men’s Hostel, built in the 17th century, when a shelter for the poor was already operating in the former leper colony.
Pastorate
In this house, built in 1672, the pastor’s apartment was located and the organist lived. Behind it are several one-story buildings with rooms for the poor. The farmstead of St. Nicholas has retained its social character to this day. The apartments are rented at low prices to those in need, some of the premises are used for ecumenical church projects.
Transition period
The number of leprosy patients in the region began to decline starting in the 16th century. The disease gradually ceased to pose a threat to society, and the quarantine hospital received new functions. Moreover, so to speak, during the transitional period, both patients with leprosy and healthy, but in need of shelter, the poor and the elderly lived within its walls.
The female half
The latest building on the territory of the former leper colony is the New Women’s Dormitory. It was erected already in the Baroque era in 1721 on the site of an old building. It is located right behind the church. The entrance to the women’s dormitory is guarded by the Gorgon Medusa on the keystone, and the coat of arms of Lüneburg is carved above it.
Disease history
Leper colonies in medieval Germany could be found everywhere. The majority are now only reminded of the names remaining on the maps, and individual surviving chapels. With the retreat of the disease, quarantine hospitals first fell into disrepair, and then were demolished in order to quickly forget about leprosy and the fears that this dangerous infection caused.
Monument
The Compound of St. Nicholas has survived to this day without significant restructuring and changes due to the fact that it is located in Bardovik, and belonged to Lüneburg. They simply forgot about him, ceased to be interested. Now the courtyard is included in the list of protected monuments.
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