History
Location
Börln is situated on the southern edge of the Dahlener Heide in the Free State (formerly Kingdom) of Saxony. On 31 December 1999 there were 571 inhabitants. Together with the adjacent hamlets, there are some 870 inhabitants over an area of 15 square kilometres.
The village is surrounded by forests and fields, ideal for horseriding and farming. At the edge of the village lies the "Hain", a small park with a pond fed by the Lossa stream.
Börln used to be the centre for a number of smaller villages which, in some cases, no longer exist. The central village forms the administrative centre, in which can be found the Schloss (castle), the Gutshaus (tenant's house from which the property was managed by the estate's tenant), the old school (now used by Lebensschule Mandala), an ice cellar, a watermill and a water well house. Unfortunately, the historic Brennerei (distillery) was torn down without permission in about 1994.
The village of Radegast also belonged to Börln and the small hamlet of Schwarzer Kater ("Black Tom Cat") is at a crossroad of the old trade routes on the "Hainstraße" including the Butter Route along the Via Regia (ancient trade route) which goes to Großenhain. The largest community is in Bortewitz, which used to be an independent village. Prempelwitz (between Börln and Radegast) and Mark Stolpen (between Börln and Heyda) have been lost in history. Only the old names remain, as: "Prempelberg" and "Stolpenteich".
Börln lies 5 km from the small town of
Dahlen. Börln was absorbed for administrative purposes into Dahlen in 1994 and is now in the province of Nordsachsen. Grimma, to which Börln used to belong, is 35 km away and Oschatz some 15km away. Börln is 50km from Leipzig and 80 km from Dresden.
South of Börln lies the Collm, 315m above sea level. At the foot of this hill, it is said, began the history of Börln as here the ancient Slavonic tribes held their parliament.
Early settlement
The first signs of civilisation in the town are from the Bronze Age and many graves can still be found between Schildau and Ochsensaal. On the border of the river between Börln and Bortewitz, a farmer once found an urn, evidencing this theory.
The area was originally settled by Slavs and German settlers arrived between the 4th and 8th centuries. The last Slav tribe to live in the area was called the Daleminzier.
In 929 Burg Meißen was erected and colonisation occurred under King Heinrich I.
The name of Börln goes back to Slavonic times. A member of the founder family is mentioned in a record of 1198, on the occasion of the consecration of the Cisternian Cloister in Sitzenroda. Gunther, filius (son of) Zlabori was the last aristocratic witness to the consecration. The name Zlabori is the genitive and means the Slav Bor.
In this record the Cloister's land possessions are also mentioned, including the neighbouring estate of Zlabori in Belthelin which is nearby to the village of Frauwalde next to Börln.
Owners of the Manor of Börln
· Slavonic Period
926: N.N. a Knight
1161: The Slav Bor
1198: Gunther, son of Bor, recorded as the last aristocratic witness to the consecration of the church of the Cisternian Cloister Sitzenroda.
· German Period
1200: Petrus miles de (von) Borlin. On 26 April 1200, Markgrave Dietrich confirmed the ownership of two pieces of land in Ottiweg to Petrus de Borlin and in Birmenitz to Laudo von Döbeln. Börln was therefore named after Petrus de Borlin.
1327: The Slav language was replaced by German as the official language. The name was spelled in various ways: Borlin 1200, Burlin 1244, Burulyn 1385, Berln 1457, Borulin 1472, Borlen 1505, Borlein 1528, Borlenn 1539, Borle 1550, Börlen 1694 and 1730, since which the current spelling has been retained.
1430: The Hussite War caused much damage to the village. The Rittergut (manorial estate) is believed to have been ruined for a long period. Nevertheless, some remains of the moated fort dating from about 1100 are still to be found in the castle cellars.
1443: Martin von Bernsdorf sold Börln which included half of Frauwalde, Schönewasser (which was between Bortewitz and Ochsensaal), Knatewitz and Meltewitz to three brothers named Nischwitz.
1460: Hans von Nischwitz the Younger, son of Konrad, is mentioned as owner.
1462: In the same year, the tenure was given by Elector Friedrich of Saxony to Christoph von Nischwitz, together with the villages of Bortewitz, half of Knatewitz with the small church, Meltewitz and two deserted villages with Frauwalde and Schönewasser.
1466: The Elector Ernst and Duke Albert of Saxony gave the tenure to Hans and Christoph von Nischwitz.
1472: Dietrich von Schleinitz the Elder, son of Dietrich, owner of the manorial estates of Dahlen, Mark Schönewasser, Schmannewitz, Ochsensaal, Heyden, Koßbroda, Zwochau, Daberwitz, Börln, Malkwitz, Frauenwalde, Ganzigk and Tragen.
1500: Between 1472 and 1552 unclear, assumed to be Dietrich von Schleinitz the Elder.
1522: Heinrich von Schleinitz
1525: Haugolt von Schleinitz
1529: Christoph von Schleinitz
1530: Heinrich von Schleinitz
1534: Hans von Schleinitz, son of Dietrich, owner of the manorial estates of Dahlen, Mark Schönewasser, Schmannewitz, Ochsensaal. Heyden, Koßbroda, Zwochau, Daberwitz, Börln, Malkwitz, Frauenwalde, Ganzigk and Tragen.
1554: 15th September, Elector August sold under an instruction of March 1553 the village of Deutschluppa including the ruin of Radegast, as well as rights to Belthelin on the right side of the stream of Frauwalde with tenure, income and judicial rights to Heinrich von Schleinitz.
1558: 11th August, his sons Heinrich and Wolf Abraham von Schleinitz together received tenure from the Elector August.
1558: Heinrich von Schleinitz is the owner of Dahlen, Heyde, Saathain, Ragewitz, Stauchwitz, Seerhausen.
1564: Heinrich is sole owner of Börln, in the same year he sold the High, Middle and Pheasant Hunt in the Wood of Schönewasser to the Elector.
1585: 14th April, Heinrich von Schleinitz died, the funeral service was held by Minister Paulus Schubart.
1586: 10th February, his inheritors are his four sons Heinrich, Wolf Dietrich, Georg and Hans.
1592: 21st August, the brothers sell 35 acres of Tragen (Letter of Tenure of 12th May 1602) to their cousin Georg von Schleinitz of Radegast. The von Schleinitz family came into huge wealth through silver mining in Freiberg. They purchased neighbouring estates, 1505 the hamlet of Radegast. The von Schleinitz family was one of the most renowned aristocratic families of the time. They fell from power, according to legend, when they lost their money by gambling and losing a bet on their fields.
1605: The four von Schleinitz brothers sold their possessions in Börln, Bortewitz and Frauwalde to Hans Christoph von Cottwitz.
1607: Georg von Schleinitz of Radegast ordered a register of inheritance for income and military service of his subjects in the villages of Wendish-Luppa and Deutsch-Luppa.
1620: The Elector Johann Georg I of Saxony swapped the manorial estate of Wellerswalde with Hans Christian von Cottwitz for Börln including Radegast and adjacent villages. One reason for this was the Hunt. Large tracts of forest in the neighbouring Dahlener Heide remained intact. The Elector appointed an administrator. He was responsible for ensuring that necessary funds were raised. This burden was not easy for the villagers to bear.
1635: 28th September, Dr. David von Döring, Privy Councillor and Chamber Councillor at the Saxon Court purchased Börln. At this time he was already the owner of the manorial estates of Selingstädt, Großsteinberg, Böhlen, Mühlbach, Mutzschen, Trautzschen, Lampertswalde, Wellerswalde and Dahlen. The Enoblement Decree issued by the Imperial Roman, also Hungarian and Bohemian Royal Majesty, etc. Ferdinand II, by his high imperial goodness and mercy, elevated to the aristocracy David Doringk JC. Lord of Böhlen, Sehlingstadt, Mühlbach and Lamperswalda, Electoral Saxon Privy Councillor and Mining Councillor, his legitimate heirs and their heirs on 17th/27th September 1630. Von Döring was a big spender. While the farmers suffered from need and pain during the Thirty Years' War, he accumulated untold riches. When he died on 14th September 1638 in Böhlen and was buried in Hohnstädt, he left amongst other possessions, 17 gold and 71 silver likenesses he had had made of himself; 362 gold and silver mugs, 22 gold chains etc. Source: Neuen deutschen Adelslexikon".
1638: David Ernst von Döhring became the owner of Börln. He was Captain of the Cavalry in the Electorial Army and died in 1641.
1641: Christian von Döhring, possibly a brother of the late David Ernst, inherited amongst other things the Manor of Börln. At the same time he was the owner of Lampertswalde, Grasdorf near Taucha etc.
1646: His brother Ernst von Döhring (born 1622) came into the possession of Börln. He also owned Ochsensaal and Lampertswalde. He was an Imperial Baron of the Holy Roman Empire and Canon of the Monastery of Zeitz. In 1656 he married Anna Magdalena von Grünrad from Wiederoda in the presence of royalty in Börln. She died on 10th September 1663 and was buried in the church in Börln on 14th September. Ernst von Döring died on 6th July 1678 at Schmöllen and was buried on 10th July in Börln in the aristocratic crypt in front of the baptismal font.
1678: Ernst Friedrich von Döring, second son of Ernst, born on 20th December 1659 was the Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Court Justice and Appeals Councillor, later Privy Councillor and Chancellor of the Monasteries of Naumburg and Zeitz. He died on 31st December 1726 at Zeitz and was buried in the Klostierkirche church there.
1727: The sons Ernst August and Christian Friedrich von Döring together possessed the Manor of Börln.
1738: Ernst August, sole owner of Börln and Radegast. He was the Court and Judicial Councillor and Senior Inspector for the estates of Count Barby. In 1752 his mother, born von Barleben, died at Zeit and on 14th May, Midday at 3/4 to 12 o'clock she was brought to Börln and on 18th November interred in the crypt in Börln. On 29th April 1760, Ernst August died in Börln and was laid to rest on 2nd May in the von Döring's crypt.
1760: His four children Friedrich August, Ernst Gottlob, Karl Wilhelm, Christiane Elisabeth Eleonore von Döring were owners of the estate of Börln with Radegast. The sons were wards of Christoph Dietrich von Plötz of Dörschnitz, Grubnitz and Ragewitz. The daughter was a ward of Wilhelm von Eckstädt.
1772: 8th April. Lieutenant Ernst Gottlob von Döring entered into an agreement with his siblings and took over the inheritance in Börln and Radegast. According to legend, a wealthy shepherd in the employ of the von Dörings wanted to purchase the estate but his attempt was not successful.
1776: Christoph Dietrich von Plötz acquired Börln and Radegast from his son-in-law Ernst Gottlob von Döring.
1777: 13/22 January. Martin Matthias von Pfister (born 27.4.1732 in Lindau) purchased Börln with the adjacent villages. He died on 28.4.1782 in Köthen. One of the family acquired great wealth as a banker in Vienna and purchased manorial estates in the following years and was raised to the aristocracy. Martin Matthias von Pfister moved to Saxony in the middle of the 18th Century. His three sons were created barons by the Saxon Imperial Vicariate in 1790.
1782: The eldest son Baron Jacob von Pfister took over his father's inheritance. His siblings Marens Matthias, Susanne Regine (born on 21.8.1766 in Köthen), married in Schloss Börln in 1791 to Caspar Heinrich Dam
von Schönberg. Thereafter resident in
Schloss Thammenhain where their great-great-great-grandson Baron Rüdiger von Schönberg was born and in the 1990's was able to purchase the expropriated castle from the state) and Georg (who lived at Ragewitz) were paid out. In 1800 the castle was greatly extended by Baron Jacob von Pfister. A large Gutshaus (tenant's house) and a quadrangular farming yard and the distillery were added in 1800. Baron Jacob von Pfister died on 21.1.1833 in Dresden.
1833: Johanne Baroness von Pfister born nee Hermann managed the estates further.
1838: Count Julius
von Zech-Burkersroda (1805-1872) purchased the Manor of Börln for 180,000 Taler. He also owned Kötzschau and
Goseck, Eula, Diehsa. He was a Kinght Imperial of the Order of Johanniter, Royal Prussian Chamberlain and Privy Councillor. From 1843 he represented the Merseberg section of the Wittenberg electoral region in the Landtag parliament of the Prussian Province of Saxony. Before this he was the Landtag Deputy for the Monastery of Merseburg. From 1845 to 1860 he was Landtags Marschall for the Province of Saxony and was created Life Member of the Prussian Herrenhaus. He died on 17th June 1872 and was buried in Bendorf near Merseburg. The line goes back to Bernhard Zech, son of a Weimar clothmaker, who raised himself from the position of Government Secretary of Gotha to Minister of State in Dresden. He was elevated to the rank of nobility by the Elector Karl IV in 1716 through his position in the Holy Roman Empire. His son of the same name was Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon Privy Councillor and president of the Imperial Vicariat Law Court and was bestowed by Emperor Karl IV in 1772 with the title of Imperial Baron. As Imperial Vicar he was able to achieve for himself and his descendants an elevation to the title of Count in 1745. The last Countess von Zech, born Baroness Louise Christiane Dorothea von Zech, adopted the Amtshauptmann (Captain) Johann Christian August von Burkersroda of the House of Kötzschau. In 1815 he merged his name and coat of arms with the Counts of Zech.
1872: Count Ludwig von Zech-Burkersroda (1853-1927 - from the first marriage - the mother came from Großböhla near Börln) inherited Börln, Radegast and Kötzschau. He was a Royal Saxon Chamberlain. In a Periodical about the Level of Income of German Citizens published in 1912/13 his family counted amongst the millionaires of northern Germany. He modernised the castle in the "Gründerzeit" style, in about 1880.
1927: Count Julius von Zech-Burkersroda (born in 1885 in Dresden) was the last aristocratic owner of Börln. He read law at the University of Leipzig, then in Heidelberg, Berlin and Halle. In 1906 he graduated and in 1909 entered the Prussian Diplomatic Service. In 1914 he was Adjutant to the German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg who was to become his father-in-law. The Manorial Estate included the village of Börln together with Radegast and Frauwalde. As the Count and his family were absent most of the time, he used the castle as a summer holiday home and the land was leased. The farmland was measured in 1839 as 600ha and the forest at 400ha. Until the Soviet invasion in 1945, the property remained in the family. Graf von Zech-Burkersroda was the Ambassador to The Hague in The Netherlands until 1940 after which he was recalled and lived at the castle. Taken prisoner by Russian soldiers in 1945, he was imprisoned in Bautzen where he died, apparently on 19th January 1946 of a lung illness. His wife Isa, a daughter of Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, Reichs Chancellor until 1917 and her daughters Margarethe von Kirchbach (died 1975) and Countess Gisela von Zech-Burkersroda (died 25.11.2003 in Munich) lived in West Germany after they were expropriated. The only son, Friedrich, died aged 22 of tuberculosis and was buried in the family plot behind the church in Börln. There are also descendants from the Goseck line. One of these is Georg Count von Zech-Burkersroda who as "Domherr" is in charge of the
Cathedral in Naumburg. Although he is descended from the Goseck line, his grandmother was also a von Zech-Burkersroda from the Börln line. Hence, the two lines were joined again in his father's person. Countess Isa von Zech-Burkersroda's harrowing experiences can be read in the following document:
Enteignet.
1945: Expropriation - Manorial Estate broken up and redistributed to the State and to refugees.
1990: The castle found itself in the possession of the Provincial Administration of Torgau-Oschatz.
1990's: Castle Park and Lake ownership transferred to the City of Dahlen.
2003: Castle with side buildings and moat - the original Manorial Core - sold to Roderick Hinkel.
The Castle
The representative Schloss Börln was built in the late baroque style. In the year 1620 the castle was completed as a U-shaped baroque building, replacing the moated fort. In 1800 and thereafter it was renovated and extended by its owner von Pfister. Further developments took place in 1880 in the "Gründerzeit" style under Graf von Zech-Burkersroda. The rear wings were demolished and one larger wing added on the north side. A sandstone gable and sandstone-surround window were added. Modernisation in the 1930s according to one story after a storm, but more likely due to an absence of sufficient windows, resulted in the disappearance of the gable and two sandstone-surrounded windows from the front facade. These will be rebuilt.
Picture: Old Castle in 1800. Wall fresco in the castle - possibly still to be discovered. (Neue Sächsische Kirchengallerie, 1914)
The castle was built on the remains of an early German moated fort. The moat is under the protection of the Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte (State Museum for Ancient History).
The castle's history naturally did not end with the expropriation of the owner in 1945. The manorial estate passed into the administration of the Soviet Army.
The castle became a temporary home to children from the lost German eastern provinces. There were 20 children who did not even know their names. After these children could be handed over to relatives, the Childrens' Home was disbanded in Summer 1946.
In the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s, the castle served other purposes. The ground floor was used as schoolrooms and for a long time, the school and retirement home coexisted as users of the building.
Parallel to the school use, thirty old and needy persons were given refuge in the castle. It was the beginning of the retirement and nursing home. The capacity was 70 in 1972 and in 1979/80 it reached a peak of 130 retired persons.
After the Peaceful Revolution in 1989 there were 85 residents. At the end of 2002 the residents and nurses moved to a new building in Dahlen.
It had already been decided in 2000 that the castle would no longer be used as a retirement home. The authorities in Torgau searched for a purchaser.
On 22 July 2003 the castle was sold to a private investor, Roderick Hinkel, whose roots are in Saxony. It will be restored over the coming years as a residence and for cultural uses.
The Village Church
The first church in Börln was recorded in 1346 but this was probably destroyed during the Hussite War (or was the chapel (see "Pilgrims Chapel) and a new church was erected in the 14th century.
In 1609-1610 the church was enlarged and a tower added. The current form dates from 1732 and is in the baroque style. Nothing is known about the architect.
Picture: Engraving of the church in 1843 (Neue Sächsische Kirchengallerie, 1914)
In 1861-1862 the church interior was renewed in new gothic style, including the chancel and baptismal font. The organ, which can still be found in the church, was built by the Dresden Court organ builder, Jehmlich, in 1866 and was his 50th instrument. A large part of the current inventory was donated by the von Döring family and by Countess von Zech-Burkersroda in memory of her departed son, including the stained glass window behind the altar.
The overall impression of the church was described by the famous Professor Gurlitt as "in unity". The church is the spiritual and cultural centre of the village, where services of worship, baptisms, marriages etc. take place.
The church was restored in 1990 and the organ, which had to be entirely removed for restoration, was played for the first time again on 19 September 1995 during a festival church service accompanied by more than 100 singers from the Wurzen bishopric.
Between 1539 and 2011 there have been a total of 30 ministers in office, including Jürgen Schneider who died after many years of service on 3rd January 2011. The Reformation in 1539 meant Börln's superintendent was changed from Wurzen to Oschatz but today he is in Grimma.
Some of the highlights of the church year are Thanksgiving Day (Börln being in farming country) and Christmas.
To the left of the main entrance to the church, there is a memorial stone to the murdered son of a merchant from Liegnitz in Silesia, who was murdered on his way from Börln to Dahlen in 1684. The stone was erected by his father.
Until 1604 the cemetery surrounded the church but since then it was closed and a new cemetery was located at the end of the village, on the road to Bortewitz.
The church became well known in 1989, when plans became public for the erection of a nuclear power station in Schwarzer Kater, a hamlet 3km from Börln, leading to protests by about 500 people and about 50 protestors experienced first hand how the State tried to suppress the protesting. The fall of the Wall removed the danger of the plant being built.
Julius Graf von Zech-Burkersroda
Julius Graf von Zech-Burkersroda, who was born in Dresden in 1885, inherited Rittergut Börln from his father. Count Julius made his career in the diplomatic service, entering the diplomatic service of Prussia in 1909 and being appointed Adjutant to his future father-in-law Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg in 1914. In 1917 he went to Munich and in 1922 was Ambassador to Finland. From 1925 he was in the Southern Europe Division of the Foreign Office and in 1928, was appointed Ambassador to The Hague, where he remained until 1941.
No fan of the Hitler regime, he was tricked into believing that Germany would not invade Holland and this was his message to the Dutch. Nevertheless, on 10th May 1940, the German Army invaded Holland and Count Julius was placed in an unenviable position. He was given the responsibility of passing the German declaration of war against the Netherlands to Dutch foreign minister Eelco van Kleffens.
According to van Kleffens, Count Julius was stunned speechless by the actions of the Nazis, and van Kleffens had to read the telegram himself. On 7th June 1940, he was sent into early retirement, after the defeat of the Dutch. He moved to Börln and spent his last years with his wife Countess Isa, a daughter of Reichs Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg who was in office until 1917. She was named after her French paternal grandmother Isabelle. Count Julius personally tended his beloved park daily.
Russian soldiers took Count Julius from Schloss Börln in 1945, to Bautzen where he apparently died although there are no records to prove it. The Landrat of Wurzen informed his family that all their property had been expropriated.
Count Julius studied Law in Leipzig and at Heidelberg University and was a member of the student organisation Corps Saxo-Borussia Heidelberg. This Corps has kindly supplied a photograph of the young Count, taken in November 1904. Later, he studied in Berlin and Halle, completing his studies in 1906.
Count Julius, who apparently died on 19th January 1946 in the Speziallager 4 in Bautzen, has no grave. All of his possessions were expropriated by the Soviet regime or stolen, mostly by villagers. He is remembered in Börln as a kind man who served his country and who obtained much pleasure from his house and garden. The restoration of these and regular conducted tours, will ensure that he is never forgotten in Börln.
Count Julius, Student Coat of Arms of the Counts Count Julius in his study
Heidelberg, November 1904 von Zech sonst genannt Burckersroda
Isa Countess von Zech-Burkersroda, nee von Bethmann-Hollweg
Countess Isa was much loved in the village. She looked after about 100 refugee children that were taken into the castle. She even cut up her valuable carpets to make slippers for the children. Children whose fathers were soldiers far away from home were invited to listen to her reading Christmas stories. Although she was a daughter of the former German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, she was as at home in large cities like The Hague as she was in the country and in the castle in Börln. She was transported along with other aristocrats from the region and with her daughter Mrs. Margarethe von Kirchbach to the Island of Rügen from where they escaped and made their way to her brother. Her other daughter Countess Gisela was a nurse in the War, was shot in the leg and removed the bullet with the aid of a pair of nail scissors. She was later able to reach her mother and sister. Countess Isa lost all her possessions and lived after the War in a small house on the grounds of her son-in-law's property (von Kirchbach, a minister of the Lutheran Church) in northern Germany, built with a donation from the Pope who tried to rescue Count Julius who was, however, already dead. Countess Isa lost her beloved husband, her house and everything that stood in it but she often reminded her children that possessions are not the most important things in life. Countess Isa will also not be forgotten in Börln.
Countess Isa, Berlin, 1915
Photo courtesy of her grandson
Friedrich von Kirchbach
