Oberhof Ballenstedt
Encyclopedia
The Oberhof Ballenstedt is a stately home
next to the town hall in Ballenstedt
in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
.
Today it is a schloss
, but originally the Oberhof was a fortified town castle (Stadtburg), that had been enfeoffed to the family of its builders, the lords of Stammern
since its construction in the 16th century. The gravestones and epitaph
s of the family from the 16th century are now in Ballenstedt's St. Nicholas' Church.
In the interior of the Late Gothic, three-winged building the groin vault
s on the ground floor, dating to the time of the original construction, have been preserved. The connecting wing between the west and east wings was added in the 19th century.
In 1869, Armgard of Alvensleben from the House of Neugattersleben purchased the property, laid out the castle grounds covering 15,000 m² and bequeathed the Oberhof in 1920 to the Alvensleben Family Foundation.
Since 1948 a children's day care centre has been housed in the former castle. Today it is once again owned by the von Alvensleben
family.
The illustration is a 1937 wash drawing by the Dutch artist, Anco Wigboldus, who portrays the condition of the Oberhof and its surroundings after the First World War in an idealised way.
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
next to the town hall in Ballenstedt
Ballenstedt
Ballenstedt is a town in the Harz district, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the northern rim of the Harz mountain range, about 10 km southeast of Quedlinburg. The municipality includes the villages of Badeborn and Oppenrode...
in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
.
Today it is a schloss
Schloss
Schloss is a German word for a building similar to a château, palace or manor house; or what in the British Isles would be known as a stately home...
, but originally the Oberhof was a fortified town castle (Stadtburg), that had been enfeoffed to the family of its builders, the lords of Stammern
House of Stammern
The House of Stammern, also Stammer, was an ancient, knightly, Saxon, aristocratic family.- History :The family was first recorded in 1295 when a certain Conradus dictus Stammern was mentioned. The family had estates in Anhalt around and in Ballenstedt, and including Ermsleben, Görlsdorf, Polleben,...
since its construction in the 16th century. The gravestones and epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
s of the family from the 16th century are now in Ballenstedt's St. Nicholas' Church.
In the interior of the Late Gothic, three-winged building the groin vault
Groin vault
A groin vault or groined vault is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. The word groin refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults; cf. ribbed vault. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round...
s on the ground floor, dating to the time of the original construction, have been preserved. The connecting wing between the west and east wings was added in the 19th century.
In 1869, Armgard of Alvensleben from the House of Neugattersleben purchased the property, laid out the castle grounds covering 15,000 m² and bequeathed the Oberhof in 1920 to the Alvensleben Family Foundation.
Since 1948 a children's day care centre has been housed in the former castle. Today it is once again owned by the von Alvensleben
House of Alvensleben
Alvensleben is the name of a Low German aristocratic family, whose oldest known member is Wichard de Alvensleve first mentioned in 1163 as a ministerialis of the Bishopric of Halberstadt...
family.
The illustration is a 1937 wash drawing by the Dutch artist, Anco Wigboldus, who portrays the condition of the Oberhof and its surroundings after the First World War in an idealised way.
Sources
- Udo von Alvensleben-Wittenmoor: Alvenslebensche Burgen und Landsitze. Dortmund 1960.
- Anco Wigboldus: Burgen, Schlösser und Gärten. Deutsche Burgenvereinigung, Marksburg über Braubach/Rhein 1974, p. 72–73 (Veröffentlichungen der Deutschen Burgenvereinigung. Vol. 8).
- Georg DehioGeorg DehioGeorg Gottfried Julius Dehio , was a Baltic German art historian ....
: Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler. Der Bezirk Halle. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich/Berlin 1976, p. 24.