LET'S WALK THROUGH GUDENSBERG

Some preliminary information

Gudensberg is first mentioned in 1121, and as a town with its own rights in 1254.

Gudensberg burnt down during the Thirty Year's War (1616-1648). What we can still see today are the medieval road system and the footprint (or foundations) of most of the houses with cellars from the . Gudensberg was rebuilt on those foundations, when the invading armies left the town after the Thirty Year's War.

1971 – 1977 Gudensberg received money from a funding programme of the Federal Republic and the State of for a redevelopment area. Many antiquated houses in the town centre were demolished and a modern new centre built with a Town Hall combined with a community centre for the citizens together with modern flats and shops within a pedestrianised zone.

Since 1980. As a result of new thinking the redevelopment area changed into the development of single houses. The border between “Old Gudensberg” and “New Gudensberg” is the street “Untergasse”.

Since 2000. The town centre becomes more attractive by the rearrangement of houses and places of the 1970s, with trees being planted and public seating being provided.

During our walk we shall see several sculptures created by Carin Grudda, who was born in Gudensberg in 1953, but now lives in Italy. During recent years she has become more widely known for her bronze sculptures. In 2012 Carin was invited to exhibit in the Biennale in Venice.

The new town centre is separated from the old town by an artificial little creek beside the Town Hall, which was created by Carin Grudda. There you will find a mother pig and her piglet with in front of them a hat with a blue flower, the symbol of the romantic. They are symbols of the legends of Gudensberg and the Odenberg, a hill near the town.

In front of the Town Hall you can find another sculpture by Carin Grudda, Cerberus hell's hound in Greek mythology, here guarding the mayor and the employees in the Town Hall.

We start our walk through the town at the Töpfenmarkt just opposite Carin Gruddas pigs in the street “Am Renthof”. In the first house on the right, “Am Renthof 2”, the Jews in Gudensberg had their ritual bath. A jewish bath needs “living water”, at the Töpfenmarkt there was a fountain, so the Jews built their bath at this place.

Renthof --- “House of the Count's administratoradministrator””””

Some metres above we reach the Renthof, formerly the residence of the “Rentmeister”, the administrator of the Count's land and income. During the 18 th century the Count lived here when visiting Gudensberg. Since 2009 the house has been undergoing restoration.

Die alte Pfarre --- “Former house of the priests”

This is the best restored half-timbered house in Gudensberg. It was rebuilt in 1642 during the Thirty Year's War as a house for the priests and used by them up to 1930. The present owner has redeveloped and renovated it. Nowadays the cellar is open for little concerts and recitals during the Gudensberg “Cultural Days”.

Synagoge --- “Synagogue”

From 1807 to 1813 King Jerôme, the younger brother of Napoleon, reigned over the Kingdom of Westphalia with as its capital. The Civil Code took the place of the old laws making all people equal and having the same rights, including the Jews for the first time. So, many Jews were attracted to the towns of the Kingdom, opening shops and trading. In the middle of the 19 th century more than 100 Jews lived in our town, where they built their own synagogue. In 1843 they celebrated the first service in it. During the dictatorship of Hitler the Jews had to flee the country or were incarcerated and killed in the concentration camps, including those from Gudensberg.

By 1938 the last Jew had left Gudensberg. During the pogrom night the synagogue was not burnt down, as a baker, a member of Hitler's party (NSDAP), had bought the building and was using it as a store. In 1991 the synagogue was bought by the town, and between 1991 and 1995 was redeveloped and restored. Since 1995 it has been used as a cultural centre, staging concerts, cabarets and exhibitions, practise rooms have been built for the use of the children's music school.

Just beside the synagogue you see the Jewish school, which by 1934 had been closed. In front of the school and the synagogue you can find the so called “Stolpersteine” (stumbling blocks “obstacles”). They were placed in the memory of the people who had lived here and had to leave their homes when they were deported and most of them murdered in the concentration camps. The stumbling blocks in front of the synagogue were placed in memory of the teachers and their families who lived here up to 1935: Berta Perlstein, the daughter of Bernhard Perlstein, teacher from 1895 to 1928, had played here in this court as a child. She was murdered in Auschwitz in 1943. The teacher Stern also lived here with his wife and daughter. They were murdered in 1942, the father in Dachau, the mother in Auschwitz and the daughter in Sobibor.

Alter Markt --- “Old market”

This place was the centre of medieval Gudensberg. Here, where trees now stand, stood the old Town Hall. In 19 th century the house was used as a school, but was demolished in 1973. All traffic from the north (Kassel) to the south (, Frankfurt) passed this place. Here the merchants sold their products. In the wall of the churchyard you can see two doors of the “Schirnen”, which are rooms, where during market days meat was stored and sold.

Above the right hand door you can see a hoof print. Legend has it that Charlemagne rested with his army near the Odenberg during a struggle with the Saxons. It was hot, the sun burnt down from the sky, and there was no water anywhere to be seen for the men or the horses. So Charlemagne stretched his arms towards heaven and prayed “God, have mercy! We shall die of thirst!” At that moment his horse reared up, struck its hoof on a rock and at that instant fresh water poured from the soil. They were saved! The well – Glissborn - still gives fresh water at the Odenberg. The stone with the hoof print was placed in the wall of the churchyard below the church.

Above the market is the centre of the old town, with the town church of St Margaret, which is first mentioned in 1271. The church is built in the late Gothic style.

The little chapel beside the church, St Crucis, was the first school in the town (at first a latin one) from 1572 to 1844.

Gefangenenturm and Wenigenburg --- “Prisoner's tower” andandand “Lower CCCastle”Castle”

This is the only remaining tower of seven, being part of the town's fortification. It is preserved, perhaps, because it was used as a prison. Remarkable is the Romanic vault with a hole in the centre, the “hole of anxiety”. The other towers and most of the city wall were torn down during the 19 th century, to improve the flow of traffic through the town.

There is an old story about the tower, that in 1662 four women from a neighbouring village were accused and convicted of sorcery. Were they witches? Two of them were hanged, of the other two, one was beheaded and the other confined to the tower. The following day she was found dead, but with no characteristics of death visible, this, according to the legend, proved that her death was instigated by her friend, the devil!

The lower castle was erected in the 13 th century but was destroyed by the Archbishop of Mainz in 1387, only a watch-tower remained from which the guardian of the tower was able to warn the inhabitants of the town, by blowing a trumpet, if there was a fire or enemies were approaching. In 1650 a house was built for the guardians, they now played tunes every hour of the night and twice during the day. In the 19 th century the “Hiege music school” continued this tradition. In the morning and evening one could hear “chorals from the hill” in the town. Nowadays the Trombone choir of Gudensberg plays on Christmas Eve before the midnight service.

Obernburg --- “Upper castle”

The upper castle was erected as the seat of the Counts of Gudensberg in the 11 th century and a main base against the Archbishop of Mainz. In the 17 th century it started to fall into delapidation, and later the walls were used to build houses in the town. Since 1985 the Obernburgfreunde (“friends of the upper castle”) are working to preserve the ruins.

From the top of the Obernburg you get a beautiful view of the “Chattengau” the unique countryside around Gudensberg where there are many rounded hilltops of basalt. During the later tertiary, 15 to 10 million years ago, the basalt was formed by many volcanoes, the majority of which did not explode, but the hot lava erupted and solidified forming the hills. Erosion during millions of years by frost, melting snow, rain, creeks and rivers formed the beauty of the scenery we see today.

Maybe you have heard of the “Chattengau” - the “Chatten” being a teutonic tribe of this region.

10 Hospital ––– “““Isolati“IsolatiIsolationon Hospital”

If you look over the roundabout to the hospital, you get a good impression of the work of art on the roundabout and beyond it the old isolation hospital and the buildings of the hospital. You can see the oldest and earliest history of Gudensberg. The sculpture in the centre of the roundabout symbolizes three ravens, two of which are Hugin and Munin, the companions of Wodan, the chief god of the Teutons. The ravens flew round the world every day and reported all the news to Wodan. The Schlossberg was Wodan's mountain and here he was honoured. One of the old names of Gudensberg was Wuodenesberg, “Wodans Berg” (Wodan's mountain).

Wodan is still living here! He waits in the Odenberg and hopes to return one day. Sometimes it is possible to hear him and his men and horses when he rides around the Odenberg at midnight – one of many Gudensberg old legends.

One of the oldest buildings in Gudensberg is the isolation hospital erected in 1365. In the 15 th century it was enlarged by the construction of a chapel. The hospital was built outside the town wall and it was used for keeping lepers and other persons suffering from contagious diseases and epidemics. There was a rotating plate in the wall of the hospital, where the inmates received alms from passers by.

Opposite the hospital is the oldest half-timbered house in Gudensberg which was not destroyed during the Thirty Year's War.

Peter Hartmann, Gudensberg, April 2012

Contact and guided tours: Peter Hartmann Tel. (0 56 03) 32 23 E-Mail: [email protected]