“In the name of the holy and indivisible Trinity, Phillippus of God`s Grace, chosen Bishop of the Church at Osna-brück -----“. -----“It is just and ecclesiastically justifiable, that the acting assembly pays attention to the fact, that necessary steps are to be considered (or to be undertaken).”
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“Because of the unrest and agitation, we are concerned out of necessity, and for God’s prestige; we, all
Superiors of the Christian Church as there are the clergy as well as all the lay”.
(Explanation: The bishops had only moderate success in getting along with local people.)
“Such, we have jointly concluded, that the tithe (= definition: = a tenth part of the yearly proceeds arising from lands and from personal industry of the inhabitants for the support of the clergy and the Church.) is permanently to be levied not only in Harst, but in the same church district also for the dwellings in Hibbenbüren, in Holenberg, in Varula, in Kesevorde; furthermore, also the tithe for a house in Vorenholte, which was rightfully claimed by Mangoldus as part of a donation, and for which the same forgave all monetary compensation, and also for one in Hasencamp and two other in Holthusen. We also add a settlement in Evinchusen including all buildings, farm-land, forests, meadows, all fallow-land, and all routes, coming and going,“
“It was jointly concluded, that all the above is to be transferred to the Church“ (Translation by: Heinz Niederste Hollenberg)
Here is stated that Bishop Phillippus and the Superiors of the Christian Church of the bishopric of Osnabrück decide in the name of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity to permanently levy the “ tithe” on housings (dwellings) like Hibbenbüren (= today: Ibbenbüren), Holenberg, Varula, Kesevorde and others.
Existing ‘registers of proceeds ‘, dated around 1180, show the income of the Dompropst Lentfried (= an ecclesi-astical principal!). These listings prove that a number of farms of our area, well-known to this day, had to make contributions to the Episcopate in Osnabrück.
Noteworthy is also: The Episcopate of Osnabrück was founded by Charlemagne in 785 AD as the first bishopric in the land of the Saxons. He appointed Bishop Wiho, a disciple of the Apostel Bonifacius, to serve as the first bishop in Osnabrück in the year 804 AD.
All this supports the assumption that these same farms still known today existed indeed, and their families used to live and work there. It is very unusual, that the same family line stayed on, struggled and survived until modern days and show early in the 21st century what happened to the Hollenbergs.
However, before going into particulars, I like to look back into the preceding centuries with additional details about the rich culture and historical events of that region.
Time before A.D. and Early Settlements and Dwellings in the Region
What happened in those earlier times in the country of the Cherusker and the Saxons?
The change from a hunter or fisherman to a resident husband-man or stock-farmer took place quite likely around 2000 BC.
The findings by Dr. Günther and others during the 1950’s and 60’s have shed additional light onto the history of settlements in this region during ancient times. They uncovered traces, vestiges of oval huts with corresponding pits of settlements and workplaces dating back to the hunter and fisherman period.
The sketch (fig.:#3), shows a likely reconstruction of these huts, reflecting details of dwellings from the Feather-Knife (Pen-Knife) period near Westerkappeln. (About 9000 B.C. – 8000 B.C.)
This is based on excavation findings similar of Spanish shepherd huts, as shown in a reconstructed ancient fishing hut from the Mediterranean coast of Northern Spain and Southern France.
Early Dwellings from the Feather-Knife Period near Westerkappeln
(fig.: #3)
Huts found on a refuge near Westerkappeln
Miscellaneous stone-tools found in same
excavation near Westerkappeln
Reconstructed ancient Spanish shepherd’s hut..
Another typical example of early living quarters (fig.:#4) shows an evolution to a wooden structure. The Archa-eological-Open-Air- Museum in Örlinghausen, near Detmold, has reconstructed this design based upon nearby findings. The building is 69 feet in length (23 m) and 16,5 feet in height (5,5 m), totalling an area of 1200 sq. ft (120 sq. mtr.) Such a structure was build with about 200 oak-trunks and can be assumed typical for the area around 1500 B.C. (See below)
A somewhat of a“luxurious” dwelling of our ancestors at the time.
(fig.:# 4)
Findings from the period between 600 to 800 AD reveal a Saxon dwelling near Warendorf, Westphalia (fig.:#5) --- a forerunner of the later classical farmhouse throughout Northwest Germany known as the ‘Niedersächsisches Bauernhaus‘ (Lower-Saxony farm house)
All of them had already, as still found today, one thing in-common: men and livestock under a single roof!
The Battle nearby at 9 A.D. with the Romans
And now let’s jump into the period when the Roman Empire was at its peak, around the birth of Christ.
It was the time when a number of independent Germanic tribes, which had settled in Europe between the Danube in the South and the North- and Baltic- Seas, and between the Rhine in the West and the Vistula (=Weichsel) in the East. It was the time when the transition began from migratory hunting and herding to agriculture and village life.
During this period of transformation, the Romans began to expand beyond their historical frontiers into just those core Germanic territories to subdue those traditional “clan” structures and their people there.
The only reliable written testimony from this period is made available by Roman writers like Tacitus. In his book “Germania”, he covers land and people of our area with particular details of the “Varus” battle from 9 AD. The actual location of the battle site has been a subject of dispute for several hundred years and was argued by many historians. (fig.: #6)
The “blue” line shows the theory of the historian Mommsen from the late 19th century. Others had different ideas, like Klostermeyer-Delbrück, Knocke, etc.
However, it took more than 100 years to give proof to Mr. Mommsen, pointing to a place named “Kalkriese” which is only a few miles away from our “Holenberg” site.
The Varus Battle near Osnabrück at 9 A.D.
between Roman Legions under Publius Quinctilius Varus
and Arminius Leading the Germanic tribes
(fig.:# 6)
It might be noted that, in the September issue of 2005, even the “Smithonian” Magazine covered this par-ticular battle rather detailed, under the title: “The Ambush that Changed History”.
The site was lost and had been argued about for over 1000 years. It was rediscovered with a simple metal detector coincidentally by Tony Clunn, a British Army officer, in 1987.
It is reported that, when the news