Varenholz and its church

History of Varenholz

Varenholz is located in the extreme north of Lippe, on a hill overlooking the Weser River and its valley. The family of knights which originally owned the fortified hill was first mentioned in a document dated 1188. In 1323 the family sold Varenholz to Simon I, ruler of Lippe, who mortgaged it away the next year. After Varenholz had been passed down among a variety of owners, Simon VI purchased it back into the ruling family in 1563. He had the old castle torn down and a new one built, in the Renaissance style, which was completed in 1595. As long as Lippe had a ruling family, the Varenholz castle was the residence of various members of the family. During the Third Reich, the castle was used for a Nationalist-Socialist girls' school. After World War II, the film company "Ufa", formerly located in Berlin, was installed in the castle by the British military government. In 1951, the present private coeducational secondary school was established in the castle. In 1590 the population of Varenholz was 132. After a decline in the 17th century, the population slowly increased to 550 by 1939. The influx of refugees following World War II pushed the population up to 818 in 1946.

The Church

Earliest records

The first written mention of a church at Varenholz is dated 1271. It is thought that the church there in the early centuries may have been two chapels, one for those inhabiting the castle, and one for the little village which grew up around the castle, and that this "church" was dependent upon the church at Langenholzhausen, a community to the south of Varenholz. By the 17th century, both chapels had fallen into disuse.

1600s re-model

In 1652 the pastor at Langenholzhausen asked that the Varenholz castle's chapel, which was then being used for the hog house, be cleaned and put in order so that he could preach there during the week from time to time. In 1665 the people of Varenholz and Stemmen asked that the old village chapel in Varenholz be emptied, so that it could be used as a school for their children, who found it burdensome to travel to Langenholzhausen for school. In 1678 Varenholz obtained its own combination pastor/school teacher. Two years later, the Varenholz congregation asked for a new building to replace the dilapidated old church. A solution was found in 1681, when Sibylee Margarethe von Donop, the wife of a Varenholz official, died and left 3000 Taler for charitable use. Her husband, Levin Moritz von Donop, arranged for the money to be used for the remodeling of an existing building and its endowment as a church. The building can be seen as the last building on the extreme right-hand side of the 1663 woodprint of Varenholz by Elias van Lennep. The remodeling was completed by retaining the outer walls and adding a vaulted ceiling of quarried stone. On July 23, 1682 the general superintendent preached the dedicatory sermon. In 1697 the Varenholz church became independent of Langenholzhausen, and from that date it serves also as the church for the villages of Stemmen and Erder.

Collapse

In time, the foundation of the remodeled building sank; it had not been laid for such a heavy overhead stone vaulting. Cracks occurred in the walls. Within fifty years, there was talk of a collapsed church building. Later, in place of the stone vaulting, the present beamed ceiling was substituted. Evidence remains on the walls that the vaulted arches had been built the width of the present windows.

Burial of the founders

The church also was where Sybille and Levin Loritz von Donop were buried. Until 1816 they lay in a crypt, approximately where the communion table now stands. Because of the danger of caving in, the crypt was removed in 1816 and the remains of the von Donops were buried. Their large stone epitaphs are built into the chancel wall directly behind the communion table. On the back of each of the two stone tablets is a verse, now turned toward the wall and hidden, which commemorates the donors. The verse for Levin Moritz reads: "The one who constructed this church at the death of his wife, and who served the realm with much wisdom, finds here his place of rest." The words for Sybille are: "Although I lived on earth without offspring from my body, with my death I have begot this church in place of a child."

Further renovations

In 1874 the church was renovated thoroughly. In the 1930s the present pews and a new communion table were acquired. In 1956/57 new lighting was installed, the interior of the church was repainted, and the old organ, dating from 1748, was overhauled and partially expanded. In 1977 a new heating system was installed, the floor was replaced, and the ceiling, walls and pews were repainted. The first few rows of pews were replaced with upholstered chairs, for more comfort and informality. The church has been designated as an historic site, to be preserved as much as possible in its original appearance.

Junkermeiers and the church today

This church at Varenholz, a short walk from the village of Stemmen, remains the church of the Stemmen Junkermeiers today. It is the same building in which our Junkermeier ancestors were baptized and confirmed. The church records preserve the significant dates for the Junkermeier generations in Germany. The sight of the Varenholz castle, and entrance into the church itself for worship, are experiences which present descendants can share in common with centuries of earlier Junkermeiers.

On January 1, 1969, both Varenholz and Stemmen lost their existence as named towns and became part of the newly-formed community named "Kalletal".

Gallery

19th-century Lippe; the district of Varenholz is the northern district A on this map: