Celle (pronounced "Sell-ah") is easy to miss. The train station, a stop between Uelzen (on the way to everywhere) and Hannover, isn't very impressive. But beneath the ordinary appearance lies a colorful, 700-year-long history. Saturday, the last USAC excursion of the semester took us to the quiet little town with a lot to say.
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| The Children's Christmas Market in front of the Schloss |
Right away, we went as far back in history as possible. We visited the Celler Schloss (castle), the oldest building in Celle, with parts dating to the late 13th Century. Most of the castle's interior rooms have been recreated, as closely as possible, to look like they did when the royal family of Lower Saxony lived there. The ornate Baroque rooms feature detailed stucco ceilings and silk-covered walls, but not very much furniture. When the center of Lower Saxony government was moved to Hannover, the ruling family naturally took most of their furniture with them to their new residence. (Celle, having "lost" the government, was allowed to choose to become either a court or university town. Still today, Celle is home to the Lower Saxony Supreme Court.) Visitors must don slippers over their shoes to walk through the restored rooms.
Another exhibit housed in the castle are the rooms of the Danish Queen Caroline-Mathilde. She was banished to Celle in 1772 by her brother (the King of England; the whole family was or was married to royalty). The Danish king suffered from schizophrenia and required constant care, provided by one Dr. Struensee. The doctor gradually assumed more and more control of the country, but went "too far" when he fathered Caroline-Mathilde's child. Dr. Stuensee was beheaded, and the Queen was sent to Celle, permanently separated from here daughter. The child was raised as a Danish princess, but was fully aware of who her real parents were.
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Scale model of the Schloss, showing its mix of
Renaissance and Baroque styles (note the towers). |
The most-impressive part of the castle is the chapel. Famous for its large collection of original, early Protestant-era paintings (identified by their German text; before the Reformation, it would have been Latin), the chapel is the only church north of the Alps with perfectly preserved Renaissance furnishings. A ban on photography (flash or not) helps keep the chapel looking so impressive.
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| An ornately-decorated half-timbered school |
The same guide who lead us through the palace continued our tour into the city. Celle is similar to Lüneburg in that both cities have many well-preserved historical houses and building. But while almost all of Lüneburg's architecture is Brick Gothic, Celle is filled with Fachwerkhäuser (half-timbered houses). No two houses are built the same; each is ornamented or decorated differently, usually to reflect the profession of the original builder. Celle showcases the differences between houses built in different eras. For example, Renaissance houses feature their ornamental decoration on the beams and exposed timbers. Some are decorated with fairy tale characters, some with secular proverbs, others with Scripture passages. Baroque houses, on the other hand, have relatively plain timbers but very ornate doorways. A trademark of all half-timbered houses is that their top story is larger than the bottom. Taxes used to be charged based on the land used for building (i.e., the house's footprint). It was in the best interest of a builder and owner to make the ground floor as small as practical, then gradually expand the upper floors to gain more living space. Both styles, too, are almost always built with a plaster-covered brick wall facing the street, while the other walls are made from cheaper materials. A extremely wealthy person was "stone rich," because they could afford to build all walls from brick.
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Right to left: Half-timbered houses from the
16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries |
We weren't able to go inside the Stadtkirche (City Church), due to a rehearsal for an Advent concert. Nevertheless, we saw the 74.5-meter-tall tower from the outside. Twice a day, a trumpeter climbs to the top and plays a fanfare in all for cardinal directions. Like many churches, the Celler Stadtkirche has been renovated and rebuilt multiple times since its consecration in 1308.
Just south of the Stadtkirche is the Stechbahn, in modern times a square that hosts farmers' markets. Formerly, the space was used for jousting tournaments. A horseshoe set in the cobblestones marks the spot where Duke Otto der Großmütige died in a 1471. Today, its purpose is cheery: wishes made when standing on the horseshoe are said to come true.
After saying a big thank you and goodbye to our tour guide, we had a some time to explore the Celle Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) on our own. We didn't stay too long, because a warm, dry train sounded better to almost everyone than the cold rain we'd had all day. Despite the weather, the beauty of Celle's history was not dampened, and we all left with big smiles.
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| Photo Credit: Maggie Yoder |
