Hotel Jagdhaus Wiese 0.00 sqm
The Hubertus Chapel near the Hotel - Bernd Wiese-Gerlach
For almost eight decades, the picturesque Hubertus Chapel directly opposite the Hotel Jagdhaus Wiese has been a place of worship and inner contemplation. The history of the chapel takes you back to the last century - a journey through time and an exciting chapter in family history at the same time. The year is 1936. The threatening clouds of the Second World War are already gathering when Franz Wiese wants to take a stand against increasing godlessness. With unshakable faith and deep piety, he dares to swim courageously against the current and decides to have a chapel built in honor of Saint Hubert on his property.
Franz Wiese wants to create a religious center for the village on a small elevation and visible to everyone from afar. The construction project was supposed to be sealed with the laying of the foundation stone in April 1936, but things turned out differently: a huge snowstorm completely cut off the hunting lodge from the outside world and buried the landscape under meters of snow. Even the older people in Jagdhaus had never experienced a snowstorm with such intensity at this time of year. But just a week later, the laying of the foundation stone can take place at the planned location. In the walled-in document it is written, among other things:
In honor of St. Hubertus, the chapel should become a place of reflection, a place of grace and peace for the current living generation and for all future generations.
According to the design of the architect Josef Franke from Gelsenkirchen, the construction of the new church is finally put into practice. Many citizens from Jagdhaus, Fleckenberg and the surrounding villages take part with manual and tensioning services, and the construction company Anton Köster takes over the masonry work. A valuable Pieta from the 14th century, the bell and the first chalice are donated by families in the area; as well as a carved Stations of the Cross and the tabernacle door, both works of art by Prof. Schneider-Manzell, who frequented the neighboring town at that time. Numerous loyal hunting lodge guests also contribute to the success of the great work by donating money. Franz Wiese's daughter Gertrud Gerlach carefully weaves a tapestry that finds its place behind the altar.
On August 19, 1936 the time had come: the Hubertus Chapel was opened by Prof. Dr. Gustav Ermecke inaugurated in a festive Levite office. It is a memorable moment for everyone present when Pastor Josef Grimme from Fleckenberg gives the sacramental blessing in the new church for the first time. Many more solemn Sunday services are to follow in the next few years - often celebrated by clergy who are among the guests at Jagdhaus Wiese. For his services to the construction of the chapel, Franz Wiese received the Cross of Honor “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” from Pope Pius XII on his 70th birthday.
A donation in kind from the Wegener family, who have owned a holiday home in Jagdhaus since 1950, ensured that the interior of the chapel was redesigned in 2014 after 78 years. The aim was to present the two donated works of art, a valuable crucifix made of lime wood from around 1530 from the workshop of Hans Leinberger, Landshut, as well as a carved Madonna and child, also made of lime wood, made at the end of the 15th century, dignified in its simplicity held chapel to present. At the same time, a new, suitable place should be found for the existing equipment. With the help of expert advice from the restoration workshop Hubert Peez from Marsberg, the Kapellenverein Jagdhaus e.V. decided on a modern background and a stainless steel cross for the crucifix. The valuable corpus takes center stage and stands out clearly from the cross. A wayside shrine in front of the chapel serves as a new location for the Madonna figure that previously adorned the chapel. A beautiful place for believers to pause or light a candle. With new splendor, the Hubertus Chapel is a reminder today, as it was then, of what shows people like Franz Wiese the way even in difficult times and what gives them trust in God, courage and strength.
