2 Jul 2023
Mediaeval Lanes and Old Houses – Treffurt in Thuringia
It was more or less a flyby visit to Treffurt on our way back from Normanstein Castle. We wanted some tea and a piece of cake, so we went down to the little town of Treffurt – and found a charming place of old houses and narrow lanes; quite Mediaeval in part. (1)
View from Treffurt to Normanstein Castle
The old town of Treffurt brings you back in time: the pavement is mosty cobblestones, some lanes are too narrow for modern cars, and some of them are rather steep because the town ascends part of the Normanstein mountain − it was a safer terrain than the Werra shores which tend to get flooded in spring.
One of the narrow lanes
The exact beginnings of a settlement beneath the castle – as well as the castle itself – can’t be traced for sure, but with the crossing of two main roads and several fords through the Werra river (Treffurt – old: Drifurten – Three Fords), it can be assumed that a fortification to protect the place dates back to the 10th or 11th century. Likely the castle came first and a settlement developed in its wake.
The smallest lane in Treffurt
The first mention of Treffurt can be found in a charte of the archbishop Ruthard of Mainz, dating from 1104 and naming one pilgrim de Trifurte as witness to the donation of an altar in a village nearby. A ‘Friedrich de Trifurten’ can also be found in the entourage of the Landgrave of Thuringia, Heinrich Raspe, in 1245 (2).
Another 'Mediaeval' lane
The settlement developed into a trading hub and received rights of a town in 1333. Treffurt developed a decent prosperity thanks to pottery and vintages. Wine was sold as far as England, but in the 17th century, the climate changed and the growth of vines was abandoned; today the Werra valley is no longer a wine area. The place was then dominated by agriculture (several houses were changed into farms) and its importance as trade site declined.
View to the Mediaeval church St.Bonifatius
Meanwhile, the Knights of Treffurt living in Normanstein Castle, vassals to the landgraves of Thuringia, had developed the bad habit of plundering villages along the Thuringian/Hessian border and extracting ‘special tolls’ from traveling merchants. The landgraves of Thuringia and Hessia, and the archbishop-elector of Mainz put an end to that sort of mischief in 1336, after a prolongued war. After the family had been ousted, the heritage – Normanstein castle, Treffurt, and a number of other villages and minor towns – was administered as sort of joint venture, a so called Ganerbschaft (3), by the landgraves of Thuringia and Hesse-Kassel (later Kurhessen), and the archbishops of Mainz (aka Kurmainz).
Yard of the Mainzer Hof, seat of one of the magistrates
The magistrates of the three magnates at first lived in the castle, but moved to more comfortable quarters in Treffurt about 1600. The Mainzer Hof is a fine example of a major half-timbered building with side wings and a courtyard. It was in possession of Mainz, and in use as administration building until 1802, afterwards it came into private possession, then was sold to the town in 1860. The buildings have recently been renovated.
Renaissance Town Hall
The Renaissance town hall is one of the prettiest in the region. It was built on older foundations in 1550; the stairs and tower were added 1609-1616. The weight of the tower rests on only eight mighty oak beams - the architectural knowledge of the Middle Ages should not be underestimated. After all, it still stands. Originally, the uppermost storey of the tower was an open battlement with only a roof and support beams, where the look-out had his position, calling out time and watching for fires.
Town Hall; the tower
At the beginning of the 20th century, the town hall was plastered and painted white, and the tower covered by slate shingles. Fortunately, those ‘improvements’ were done away with, and the original half-timbered beauty brought back in 1994.
Detail of the so-called Ohrfeigenhaus
This house is called Ohrfeigenhaus (Slap House), dating from 1608. The Hessian magistrate, a man named Bley, had asked for permission to cut a few trees in the woods to build a ‘little house’. Thinking of a modest abode, the superior gave Bley permission. But Bley was not a modest man; he put up a three storeyed house with elaborately ornated half-timber features, more suited for a rich merchant. When his superior visited the town some time afterwards and beheld the whopping big house, he gave Bley a sound slap for his lies – in public to boot, and thus the house got its name.
St.Bonifatius, the apses on the east side
The St.Bonifatius (St.Boniface) Church was built at the beginning of the 13th century, in the style between Romanesque and Gothic. The oldest parts are the choir, the transept and the three apses at the east side. The original layout was a + shaped cross; but the main nave was elongated in 1341, a westwork tower in the Romanesque style with a half-timbered upper part, and a new apse added.
The neo-Romanesque west tower of St.Bonifatius Church
In the 19th century the church was altered again, by adding larger neo-Romanesque windows to the aisles. The westwer tower got its upper stone part in lieu of the half-timbered structure; also following neo-Romanesque style – it fits quite nicely here.
Unfortunately, the church was closed, so there are no photos of the interior.
Interior of the (assumedly) oldest house in Treffurt
The oldest house in Treffurt (Kirchstrasse 31) (4) that still remains dates to 1546. It had been a tavern, and when we visited in 2008, it again housed a café – we got pancakes with warm cherries and whipped cream *yum*. Unfortunately, I could not find out if that café still exists.
Oldest house in treffurt, exterior
Let’s finish with some final bits of the history of Treffurt: In the 18th century, the ganerbenschaft (see footnote 3) ended, and Mainz held the rights alone. Since 1815, Treffurt belonged to Prussia. After 1945, the town was part of Thuriniga and thus within the GDR. Today it is part of the Wartburg County.
One of the lanes leading up the hill
During the time when Treffurt was part of Prussia, a cigar industry developed which continued during the GDR. They produced cigars called Sprachlos (Speechless) which must have been some pretty horrible stuff. After the Reunion, the company was bought by Dannemann; it still produces cigars with the name Sprachlos, but of better quality.
View from Normanstein Castle to Treffurt
Footnotes
1) This is a rewrite of an older post. Since the visit was not planned, we didn’t hunt all the houses listed on the website.
2) Heinrich Raspe IV (1204-1247) is also known as counter-king to Konrad IV, the ‘priests’ king’ (Pfaffenkönig).
3) A Ganerbschaft (Gan Heritage) was a joint estate (most often a castle and adjoining land) over which co-heirs only had rights in common. Gan-heritages usually served to keep possessions within a family. A share of land between rulers of countries was an exception. To ensure the peaceful coexistence of co-heirs, there was an pretty extended set of regulations. Didn’t always work, nevertheless, though it obviously functioned quite well in case of Treffurt.
4) Some sites call it the oldest house, while the website of the town mentions it as second oldest (without listing an oldest one). ¶ July 02, 2023
It was more or less a flyby visit to Treffurt on our way back from Normanstein Castle. We wanted some tea and a piece of cake, so we went down to the little town of Treffurt – and found a charming place of old houses and narrow lanes; quite Mediaeval in part. (1)
The old town of Treffurt brings you back in time: the pavement is mosty cobblestones, some lanes are too narrow for modern cars, and some of them are rather steep because the town ascends part of the Normanstein mountain − it was a safer terrain than the Werra shores which tend to get flooded in spring.
The exact beginnings of a settlement beneath the castle – as well as the castle itself – can’t be traced for sure, but with the crossing of two main roads and several fords through the Werra river (Treffurt – old: Drifurten – Three Fords), it can be assumed that a fortification to protect the place dates back to the 10th or 11th century. Likely the castle came first and a settlement developed in its wake.
The first mention of Treffurt can be found in a charte of the archbishop Ruthard of Mainz, dating from 1104 and naming one pilgrim de Trifurte as witness to the donation of an altar in a village nearby. A ‘Friedrich de Trifurten’ can also be found in the entourage of the Landgrave of Thuringia, Heinrich Raspe, in 1245 (2).
The settlement developed into a trading hub and received rights of a town in 1333. Treffurt developed a decent prosperity thanks to pottery and vintages. Wine was sold as far as England, but in the 17th century, the climate changed and the growth of vines was abandoned; today the Werra valley is no longer a wine area. The place was then dominated by agriculture (several houses were changed into farms) and its importance as trade site declined.
Meanwhile, the Knights of Treffurt living in Normanstein Castle, vassals to the landgraves of Thuringia, had developed the bad habit of plundering villages along the Thuringian/Hessian border and extracting ‘special tolls’ from traveling merchants. The landgraves of Thuringia and Hessia, and the archbishop-elector of Mainz put an end to that sort of mischief in 1336, after a prolongued war. After the family had been ousted, the heritage – Normanstein castle, Treffurt, and a number of other villages and minor towns – was administered as sort of joint venture, a so called Ganerbschaft (3), by the landgraves of Thuringia and Hesse-Kassel (later Kurhessen), and the archbishops of Mainz (aka Kurmainz).
The magistrates of the three magnates at first lived in the castle, but moved to more comfortable quarters in Treffurt about 1600. The Mainzer Hof is a fine example of a major half-timbered building with side wings and a courtyard. It was in possession of Mainz, and in use as administration building until 1802, afterwards it came into private possession, then was sold to the town in 1860. The buildings have recently been renovated.
The Renaissance town hall is one of the prettiest in the region. It was built on older foundations in 1550; the stairs and tower were added 1609-1616. The weight of the tower rests on only eight mighty oak beams - the architectural knowledge of the Middle Ages should not be underestimated. After all, it still stands. Originally, the uppermost storey of the tower was an open battlement with only a roof and support beams, where the look-out had his position, calling out time and watching for fires.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the town hall was plastered and painted white, and the tower covered by slate shingles. Fortunately, those ‘improvements’ were done away with, and the original half-timbered beauty brought back in 1994.
This house is called Ohrfeigenhaus (Slap House), dating from 1608. The Hessian magistrate, a man named Bley, had asked for permission to cut a few trees in the woods to build a ‘little house’. Thinking of a modest abode, the superior gave Bley permission. But Bley was not a modest man; he put up a three storeyed house with elaborately ornated half-timber features, more suited for a rich merchant. When his superior visited the town some time afterwards and beheld the whopping big house, he gave Bley a sound slap for his lies – in public to boot, and thus the house got its name.
The St.Bonifatius (St.Boniface) Church was built at the beginning of the 13th century, in the style between Romanesque and Gothic. The oldest parts are the choir, the transept and the three apses at the east side. The original layout was a + shaped cross; but the main nave was elongated in 1341, a westwork tower in the Romanesque style with a half-timbered upper part, and a new apse added.
In the 19th century the church was altered again, by adding larger neo-Romanesque windows to the aisles. The westwer tower got its upper stone part in lieu of the half-timbered structure; also following neo-Romanesque style – it fits quite nicely here.
Unfortunately, the church was closed, so there are no photos of the interior.
The oldest house in Treffurt (Kirchstrasse 31) (4) that still remains dates to 1546. It had been a tavern, and when we visited in 2008, it again housed a café – we got pancakes with warm cherries and whipped cream *yum*. Unfortunately, I could not find out if that café still exists.
Let’s finish with some final bits of the history of Treffurt: In the 18th century, the ganerbenschaft (see footnote 3) ended, and Mainz held the rights alone. Since 1815, Treffurt belonged to Prussia. After 1945, the town was part of Thuriniga and thus within the GDR. Today it is part of the Wartburg County.
During the time when Treffurt was part of Prussia, a cigar industry developed which continued during the GDR. They produced cigars called Sprachlos (Speechless) which must have been some pretty horrible stuff. After the Reunion, the company was bought by Dannemann; it still produces cigars with the name Sprachlos, but of better quality.
Footnotes
1) This is a rewrite of an older post. Since the visit was not planned, we didn’t hunt all the houses listed on the website.
2) Heinrich Raspe IV (1204-1247) is also known as counter-king to Konrad IV, the ‘priests’ king’ (Pfaffenkönig).
3) A Ganerbschaft (Gan Heritage) was a joint estate (most often a castle and adjoining land) over which co-heirs only had rights in common. Gan-heritages usually served to keep possessions within a family. A share of land between rulers of countries was an exception. To ensure the peaceful coexistence of co-heirs, there was an pretty extended set of regulations. Didn’t always work, nevertheless, though it obviously functioned quite well in case of Treffurt.
4) Some sites call it the oldest house, while the website of the town mentions it as second oldest (without listing an oldest one). ¶ July 02, 2023
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I always love hearing the history of the buildings when they're known, and to hear about the ones that got 'improved' and then restored to their original beauty, too.
# posted by 
: July 02, 2023
: July 02, 2023
That's a beautiful town hall, I'd love to work there - if it's properly networked, which can be a real pain with older American civic buildings.
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