Winsen (Luhe) (German pronunciation:[ˌvɪnzn̩ˈluːə]ⓘ) is the capital of the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the small river Luhe, near its confluence with the Elbe, approx. 25 km southeast of Hamburg, and 20 km northwest of Lüneburg.
History
Winsen was first mentioned in a document of the Diocese of Verden in 1158.[3]Winsen Castle, first mentioned in 1315,[4] was built at a crossing over the Luhe to protect the harbour. At the beginning of the 15th century, the Church of Saint Mary was built.
In 1593, Dorothea of Denmark, widow of William the Younger, moved into Winsen Castle and lived there until her death in 1617. During this time, the Marstall (stables) was built. In the Thirty Years' War, Danes invaded the town and burned down about 25 houses.[5]
On 1 July 1972, thirteen previously independent villages, Bahlburg, Borstel, Gehrden, Hoopte, Laßrönne, Luhdorf, Pattensen, Rottorf, Roydorf, Sangenstedt, Scharmbeck, Stöckte and Tönnhausen, were incorporated into the town.
Main sights
Winsen Castle
Winsen Castle was first mentioned explicitly in 1315.[6] Another document from 1277 indicates that the castle probably already existed at that time.[7][8] The castle served long periods of its history as an administrative building and was the seat of Großvögte, Amtmänner and Landräte. Today, it is the seat of the Amtsgericht; therefore, the rooms are generally not open to the public. In 2008, an exhibition was opened in the castle tower.
Marstall
The Marstall was originally used for horse and carriage. Although a timber beam shows the year 1599, the year of construction is unknown.[9] Today, the four-story half-timbered building contains the tourist information centre, the public library, the museum of local history and an event room. On the eastern gable, a modern carillon is installed.[10]
Church of Saint Mary
The construction of the late Gothichall church started around 1415. The choir was covered in 1437, and the nave in 1465. The church has only one side aisle and the vault of the nave never was finished. In the 1950s, the interior decoration was changed. The colourful windows were designed and produced by Claus Wallner between 1958 and 1966. The altarpiece, the baptismal font and the bronze pulpit plates were made by Fritz Fleer. Friedrich Meinecke, born in Winsen, created the statue of Luther. Like the 62-metre-high neo-Gothic bell tower, it was completed in 1899.[11]
Blaufärberhaus
The oldest still existing residential house is located in the Luhestraße. The Blaufärberhaus (blue-dyer's house) was built on the Luhe island immediately after the great town fire in 1585. The gable is richly decorated with Renaissance motifs. The building is not open to the public.
Saint George's Chapel
Formerly outside the town, a leprosarium, the St. Georg foundation, was established in 1401.[12] The chapel was first documented in 1445. The present hospital building was constructed in 1766, and the chapel was built in 1750 and got its current appearance in 1903.
Further buildings
Historic buildings of the old town are situated on the Luhe island, specifically in Deichstraße, Mühlenstraße, Luhestraße, and Kehrwieder.
The Alte Stadtschule (old town school) was erected in Eckermannstraße in 1893 in historicism style. It is the oldest school in Winsen and nowadays a pure primary school. On the upper floor of the main building, there is a historic auditorium that is used for events. On the opposite side of the street, the gym of the MTV Winsen built in 1889 was located. It was destroyed to the ground in a fire in April 2016.[13] The half-timbered building was the first gymnasium in Winsen.
The historic town hall was built in 1896. The former Amtsschreiberhaus ([scrivener]'s house) was mentioned in a document in 1714. The hotel "Zum Weißen Ross" already existed in 1684. It was the residence of Edwin von Manteuffel, commander of the Prussian Army in Austro-Prussian War, in 1866. The carefully restored Buchengasse, a connection between Rathausstraße and Plankenstraße, invites to linger. The ducal watermill was first mentioned in 1385[14] and moved to the southern end of the Luhe island (Mühlenstraße) in 1750. The brick facade was added in 1940.
^H. Sudendorf, Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte der Herzöge von Braunschweig und Lüneburg und ihrer Lande Band I (Hannover 1859), no. 279, document of 28 November 1315
^H. Sudendorf, Urkundenbuch zur Geschichte der Herzöge von Braunschweig und Lüneburg und ihrer Lande Band I (Hannover 1859), no. 279, document of 28 November 1315
^W. F. Volger, Urkundenbuch der Stadt Lüneburg bis zum Jahre 1369 (Hannover 1872), no. 122, document of 10 April 1277
^Ilona Johannsen: Der Marstall und seine Nutzung, Niedersachsenbuch 2008 Winsen (Luhe), Nieders. Ministerium für Inneres und Sport, pp. 32–33.
^Ilona Johannsen: Der Marstall und seine Nutzung, Niedersachsenbuch 2008 Winsen (Luhe), Nieders. Ministerium für Inneres und Sport, pp. 32–40.
^Kurt Schoop: Geschichte der Winsener Kirchtürme in: Winsener Geschichtsblätter, no. 11, 1930, p. 41 sq.
^Uta Reinhardt: Lüneburger Testamente des Mittelalters 1323 bis 1500, Hanover 1996, no. 58, p. 85. Explicitly mentioned as leprosarium in: Lüneburger Testamente no. 103 on 4 February 1414.
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