Sunday 21 October 2012

Visiting Q'burg (part two)

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
Quedlinburg is situated in an area known as the Harz Mountains.  Here, in former times, belief in witches was widespread and they were greatly feared.  Not far away, near to the town of Thale, is the 'hexentanzplatz' (witches dancing place) where it was believed they met to plot and plan and I guess, to dance.  The Quedlinburgers feared the witches and we were told that they covered their houses with numerous signs to ward them off.  These can still be seen today, carved in to the woodwork:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
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Interestingly, Quedlinburg is not just a 'mediaeval town'.  It has some fine examples of the Art Nouveau  (called Jugenstil in German).  This front door is an example:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
Meanwhile, at the rear of our hotel stands a large, old, house in a fairly typical Quedlinburger street.  It was in a very sorry state.  I would love to have been able to take it over, do it up and live in it!
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
The outside of the house looked sturdy enough although a sign on the wall stated that it was marked for 'redevelopment':
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
 The inside had been gutted:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
The state of this house saddened me.  I am sure it had an interesting history and situated as it was, beside one of the streams that flow through the town, it had a pleasant aspect.  What a shame that it was sitting there, a shadow of its former self:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
We were busy walking about and exploring the old town when joy of joys, just around the corner from a mustard shop, I spotted a large amount of conkers just waiting to be collected:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
I picked five or six and with them safely in my pocket we went for a rather pleasant meal at a local restaurant.  After that it was time for bed, having had a full and rather interesting day.

Our second morning in Quedlinburg saw blue skies and the sun shining down upon us all:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
Having settled our account we took our bags to the car and then went for a last walk around.  We had a mission in mind: to visit the castle/palace and the abbey church, both of which sit high on a hill overlooking the old town:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
It was here at Quedlinburg, according to legend, that Henry of Saxony, nicknamed 'the Fowler', was offered the crown of Germany in about the year 919.  A plaque on one of the houses commemorates this event:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
When Henry died his wife Matilda (St. Matilda of Ringelheim) asked his successor to grant her the land now known as Quedlinburg so that she could build a royal abbey there to serve as Henry's sepulchre.  This request was granted and the resulting buildings are here for us to view today.  This is the palace:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
From that point on, Quedlinburg was ruled by a series of abbesses, starting with St. Matilda herself.  She would later be buried there, at the side of her husband.  After the Reformation in Germany, the role of abbess was taken on by various protestant princesses, although their role was secular rather than overtly religious.  As a result the convent was transformed into a palace of some splendour.  This one of the Drawing Rooms within the palace, containing a selection of what is termed 'Biedermeier' furniture:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale
 I am rather partial to chandeliers.  I could easily have taken this one home with us:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale. 
Here is a shoe belonging to one of the later secular abbesses of Quedlinburg:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
And here is a page from one of the books on display showing a Dodo and an 'Indian Pig' which looks to me like a guinea pig:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale
 This rather nice settle caught our eye:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
 As did this empire day bed:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
From the palace we moved on to the abbey church:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
The abbey church sits opposite the palace, separated by a small courtyard.
In the 1930s it became somewhat infamous due to the nefarious activities of Heinrich Himmler and the National Socialist Party.  If I understand things correctly, Himmler secretly believed himself to be the reincarnation of Henry the Fowler and decided to raise him up for the people as a sort of German ideal, because he had subjugated the Slavic peoples of the time.  Wanting to go one step further, Himmler and his associates made plans for the eradication of Christianity within Germany.  This would then be replaced by a new religion centred around the National Socialist Party. Quedlinburg was to become the headquarters for all this and in preparation, the Lutheran clergy were evicted and old Henry's body was disinterred, then reburied with all the paraphernalia that accompanied the National Socialist Party and its stark beliefs.  The War however interrupted these plans and once it was over, the Lutheran Church once again took control of the site and Henry was once again disinterred and then reinterred.  I am not sure what happened to St Matilda during all this carry-on but within the abbey crypt is a very interesting exhibition that documents it all.  Interestingly Himmler's tomb was not totally destroyed but rather broken up, along with the eagle emblem that accompanied it, and retained for posterity:
Here is the 'Himmler' tomb, with the lid broken asunder:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
And here is the National Socialist eagle, also broken up, while one of their candlesticks has been wrapped in barbed wire:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
Should these National Socialist 'relics' have been kept or destroyed utterly?  At first I felt affronted that the old king's remains should had been treated in such a way by Himmler, but then I reasoned that it is good that such things are kept, to show posterity the lengths that dictatorships can go to.  Plus, it all forms part of the history of this place - both the good and the bad.

The interior of the abbey church itself is rather barren but it does have a very nice museum that contains the abbey treasures including some things that had been stolen by an American serviceman at the end of World War II and only recently returned.  No photographs were allowed but on display is a 1st Century alabaster urn said to have been used by Our Lord to turn water in to wine at the Wedding of Cana!  Here is the Church interior:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
I did like this door handle, cleverly fashioned into a curly-tailed dog jumping through a hoop:

This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
The site makes for some nice photographic opportunities as we looked back down on Quedlinburg:
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
The old part of Quedlinburg, together with the abbey church and the palace, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It is easy to see why.
This Photograph was taken by Kirk Dale.
This Photograph was not taken by Kirk Dale, it was taken by AGA.
There was just time for some short reflection on what we had seen before we were back in the car and off on the next leg of our journey - but more of that later. . .

I hope you enjoyed this second part of our journey to Quedlinburg!  I have tried to give you a flavour of what it is like to visit.

12 comments:

  1. Hello, Kirk ~
    A great portrait of you by Aga. Next time we'll look forward to meeting Aga?? :)

    Just caught up on your Quedlinburg posts. I would love to experience Yuletide in Q'burg....especially covered in snow as shown in the photo from your previous trip. Seems to me the medieval architecture and folklore would heighten the festive spirit. (Yes, I'm already thinking Christmas!)

    It is sad to see such a grand building fall into decay. I love these old timber and brick/stone buildings. And this one has such a prominent corner location.

    Many thanks for the tour of Q'burg!
    Loi

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    1. Dear Loi,
      Thank you for your kind comments. A photograph of AGA? Maybe in the future.
      QUedlinburg is a lovely place. Another one you should put on your list is Rothenburg ob der Taube. Now that is mediaeval Christmas personified. A very pretty place and with a huge Christmas shop to boot!
      You are already thinking Christmas? We are already thinking Easter!
      Kirk

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  2. Hello Kirk, This has to be the shortest delay ever between parts 1 and 2 of a post. Quedlinburg is really a storybook town, even if that story darkens somewhat with the Himmler episode.

    That dog-and-hoop door handle certainly raised my spirits again, however.
    --Road to Parnassus

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    1. Thank you Parnassus.
      Yes I think I was the subject of a blog posting frenzy yesterday. I was busily typing away, then proofreading, then posting.
      Afterwards I thought that a blog is rather like a magazine or a newspaper and that having two editions out on the same day is too much!
      I really liked that door handle and I am going to see if I can get something similar made for our future house
      Kirk

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  3. Kirk, so many interesting stories and lovely objects in this post.
    The roofs of Quedlinburg are aesthetically charming with their steep slopes and pretty dormer windows.
    You mention the alabaster urn and its association with the turning of water into wine at the wedding of Cana. We also found that there were so many important religious catholic relics in Germany. Christ's Holy Robe in Trier, the apparel of the Virgin Mary, the swaddling clothes, the loincloth of Christ and the decapitation cloth of John the Baptist in Charlemagne's Cathedral in Aachen. They seem to have more reliquaries in Germany than they have in Italy.
    The art nouveau period is one I like, and that door is lovely.
    No time for a game of conkers before retiring!

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    Replies
    1. Dear Rosemary,
      I should imagine that Quedlinburg in Spring is very pretty too.
      I think you could be right about the relics. As Catholics AGA and I are often interested to see such things, being objects to aid devotion although we do wonder about the authenticity of some of them. The urn however had been positively dated to the correct period and place.
      The Three Kings are in Cologne Cathedral too.
      No, there was no time for a conkers game and they are now sitting in a bowl here along with some other nutty finds.
      Kirk

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  4. Dear Kirk,
    What a beautiful post-- I feel as if I were there with you both--thank you! I'm sure I would never have found Quedlinberg on my own, and now, it's on my "must visit" list for Germany!!! I mourn the loss of that beautiful old house with you. Such a shame that someone didn't buy it and restore it-- it would be a gift to the community to save it. It was a wonderful treat to see that charming door handle, too. Fascinating history and beautiful images--thank you!!
    Best regards,
    Erika

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    Replies
    1. Dear Erika,
      Thank you for your nice comments. I would recommend visiting Quedlinburg. It is lovely place. Just wait until I show you the next stop on our journey!
      Bye for now
      Kirk

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  5. Hello Kirk:
    We have caught up with your visit to Quedlinburg and what a treasure trove of a place it is. There is so much of interest and intrigue in your posts of this town and the photographs capture a wonderful sense of the town, its turbulent past and its quiet beauty. As you say, it is not surprising that it is a World Heritage site and we should love to visit and see for ourselves one day.

    We too should have wanted to rescue the abandoned timber framed house. It would make a wonderful project but terribly time and money consuming no doubt. We wonder what will become of it in its 'redevelopment' and hope that it will be treated sympathetically.

    Roasted chestnuts are a favourite and are just beginning to make an appearance on the streets of Budapest.Wintry weather can surely not be far behind.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Jane and Lance,
      Thank you for your comments.
      I hope that they at least keep the facade of the neglected building although I would prefer that it was fully restored and made a home again!
      I expect roasted chestnuts in Budapest - I hope I get to try some when I am there. I expect them to start appearing here too soon.
      Kirk

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  6. Dear Kirk,

    Where to begin with this splendid travelogue?! So many things upon which to comment. Quedlinburg has so much charm, between those red rooves and surprising turns of Art Nouveau. I'd love to have a room of Biedermeier furniture and a door handle of a dog leaping through a hoop (though I think that with that tail, it might be a pig)!

    I've always found it so curious that there was a time when bishops and abbesses were royalty — talk about Princes of the Church!

    And finally, it's nice to put a face together with this blog; I feel as though I've finally met you!

    Mark

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  7. Dear Mark,
    Thank you for your nice comments.
    You know, when I saw that door handle I asked AGA is he thought it was a pig but in the end we decided a dog.
    As for a room filled with Biedermeier furniture - I'm with you. I would love that, especially an empire day bed on which to recline while reading my favourite blogs!
    Yes you know I wondered about putting my photograph on here. I felt a bit shy about doing it but then I thought that actually I am pleased with my little blog residence so why shouldn't I be a proper host and let my guests see me.
    Bye for now,
    Kirk

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