Bad Iburg (; Westphalian: ''Bad Ibig'') is a

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...

in the district of Osnabrück, in

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is situated in the

Teutoburg Forest The Teutoburg Forest ( ; ) is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Until the 17th century, the official name of the hill ridge was Osning. It was first renamed the ''Teutoburg Forest'' ...

, 16 km south of

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

, and the

Hermannsweg The Hermannsweg is a long hiking trail which follows the ridge of the Teutoburg Forest, running from Rheine to Velmerstot in Germany. It is marked by signposts showing a white H on a black background. The Hermannsweg is named for Arminius (Germ ...

long-distance hiking trail passes through it. Bad Iburg is also the name of a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

which includes the town and four outlying centres: Glane, Ostenfelde, Sentrup and Visbeck. The most important building is Schloss Iburg above the town. It is a complex of a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

which was the residence of the bishops of

for six hundred years and a former

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of the

Order of Saint Benedict The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

History

Bad Iburg was first mentioned in 753 in a

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

document. In 772 the

Frankish King The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dux, dukes and monarch, reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Franks, Salian Mero ...

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

captured the “Royal castle Iburg”, from his chief antagonist, the

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

leader

Widukind Widukind, also known as Wittekind and Wittikund, was a leader of the Saxons and the chief opponent of the Frankish king Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars from 777 to 785. Charlemagne ultimately prevailed, organized Saxony as a Frankish provinc ...

. In a lasting period of struggles the ownership changed between Franks and Saxons. Frankish troops finally regained the castle in 783. Bad Iburg became of more than local importance in the 11th century when Bishop Benno I (1052–1067) built a new castle on the ruins of the first fortification. This castle was also ruined so Benno I's successor Bishop

Benno II of Osnabrück Benno II ( – 27 July 1088) was Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück, Bishop of Osnabrück from 1068 until his death. He served as a close advisor and architect of Emperor Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV. In 1080 he founded the Order of Sai ...

(1068–1088) built another castle. He also founded a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery, the first twelve monks came from

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

. An interesting feature of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Clemens is the

hagioscope A hagioscope () or squint is an architecture, architectural term denoting a small splayed opening or tunnel at seated eye-level, through an internal masonry dividing wall of a church in an oblique direction (south-east or north-east), giving wo ...

, which allowed

lepers Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

to view the service from outside. Bishop Benno II was buried in St. Clemens, the monastery's church. About 1100, after a large fire in Osnabrück, the castle became the residence of Osnabrück's bishops. This period ended when Ernest Augustus, Elector of

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

& Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Protestant Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück built a

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

castle in Osnabrück to which he and his family moved in 1673. He added the small Protestant church Evangelisch-lutherische Schlosskirche to the Iburg castle, thus the complex of castle and monastery has had two churches, Protestant and Catholic, since the 17th century. In 1668

Sophia Charlotte of Hanover Sophia Charlotte of Hanover (30 October 1668 – 1 February 1705) was the first Queen consort in Prussia as the wife of King Frederick I. She was the only daughter of Elector Ernest Augustus of Hanover and Sophia of the Palatinate. Her eldes ...

, the only daughter of Ernest Augustus and his wife

Sophia of the Palatinate Sophia (born Princess Sophia of the Palatinate; – ) was Electress of Hanover from 19 December 1692 until 23 January 1698 as the consort of Prince-Elector Ernest Augustus. She was later the heiress presumptive to the thrones of England and Sc ...

, was born in Schloss Iburg. She became the first Queen of Prussia. Of special importance is the castle's Rittersaal (hall of knights). The ceiling in pseudo-architecture was painted by Andrea Alovisii. The monastery site has a baroque building designed by Johann Conrad Schlaun in

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

Adolph Hane's (1706–1768) time. The monastery was active until 1803 when it was secularisated by the

Reichsdeputationshauptschluss The ' (formally the ', or "Principal Conclusion of the Extraordinary Imperial Delegation"), sometimes referred to in English as the Final Recess or the Imperial Recess of 1803, was a resolution passed by the ' (Imperial Diet) of the Holy Roman Em ...

. In 1534 Bad Iburg was involved in the

Münster Rebellion The Münster rebellion (, "Anabaptist dominion of Münster") was an attempt by radical Anabaptists to establish a communal sectarian government in the German city of Münster then under the large Prince-Bishopric of Münster in the Holy Rom ...

when six

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

s were captured on their way from Münster to Osnabrück and imprisoned in the octagonal tower of the castle called the ''Bennoturm'' (Benno's Tower). Five of them died during torture or were executed; the sixth was set free after betraying the plans of

John of Leiden John of Leiden (born Johan Beukelszoon; 2 February 1509 – 22 January 1536) was a Dutch Anabaptist leader. In 1533 he moved to Münster, capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, where he became an influential prophet, turned the city into ...

, the leader of the Anabaptists. In 1910 the crash of the

zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155� ...

''LZ7 Deutschland'' near Bad Iburg brought international attention. The airship had had its maiden voyage on 19 June 1910, and nine days later was on a pleasure trip to popularize the zeppelin. On board were 19 journalists, among them two reporters of well-known British newspapers. In bad weather, the crew decided to go to

, passing over the Teutoburg Forest. The airship crashed into Mount Limberg on 28 June 1910, just after 5 p.m. Nobody was injured. A monument with a portrait of Count

Ferdinand von Zeppelin Graf, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (; 8 July 1838 – 8 March 1917) was a General (Germany), German general and later inventor of the Zeppelin rigid airships. His name became synonymous with airships and dominated long-distance flight until the ...

was erected on Mount Limberg after the crash, the inscription reads, ''Trotzdem vorwärts'' (Ahead nevertheless). On 18 January 1962 an aeroplane from the British Royal Air Force crashed on the hill of the

Dörenberg The Dörenberg is a hill, , in the Teutoburg Forest in the district of Landkreis Osnabrück, Osnabrück, in the German state of Lower Saxony. Origin of the name Dören could be derived, especially in the area of Ostwestfalen-Lippe, from Dören ...

. The two pilots aged 24 and 26 years old, died. There is a monument at the Dörenberg in memory of the accident. File:BadIburgSchlossRittersaal.JPG, The castle's Rittersaal (hall of knights), paintings by Andrea Alovisii File:BadIburgSchlossSchlaun.JPG, Baroque monastery designed by Johann Conrad Schlaun File:BadIburgSchlossBennoturm.JPG, Bennoturm at the castle where anabaptists were imprisoned File:Trotzdem vorwärts groß.jpg, Monument on Mount Limberg commemorating the crash of LZ7

Mayors

The current mayor is Daniel Große-Albers (independent), elected in 2021. He succeeded Annette Niermann (Alliance 90/The Greens), who was elected mayor in 2014.''Annette Niermann ist Bad Iburgs neue Bürgermeisterin.''
In: ''Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung,'' 24. Februar 2014. She was the successor of Drago Jurak.

Museums

Bad Iburg has three museums, Schlossmuseum mit Münzkabinett, the castle museum, which includes a

numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

department, the Uhrenmuseum (a clock museum), and Averbecks Speicher, a museum of local history in a former farm's storehouse in Glane. File:BadIburgGlaneAverdiekAnlage.jpg, Museum Averbecks Speicher File:BadIburgUhrenmuseum.JPG, Uhrenmuseum

Churches

The Fleckenskirche St. Nikolaus dates from the 13th century. The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest

hall church A hall church is a Church (building), church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height. In England, Flanders and the Netherlands, it is covered by parallel roofs, typically, one for each vessel, whereas in Germany there is often one s ...

in the Osnabrück district. St. Jakobus der Ältere in Glane was erected in 1904/1905. The Roman Catholic Church in

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

contains a pietà from 1420. St. Clemens in the castle complex was the church of theBenedictine monastery. A

was rediscovered. The Evangelische Schlosskirche which is also situated in the castle complex is the only Lutheran church in Bad Iburg. File:BadIburgFleckenskirche.JPG, Fleckenskirche St. Nikolaus File:BadIburgKircheGlane.jpg, St. Jakobus der Ältere in Glane File:BadIburgSchlossKlosterkircheHagioskop.JPG, Hagioscope at St. Clemens File:BadIburgSchlossEvKirche.JPG, Entrance of Evangelische Schlosskirche

Buildings

The Jagdschlösschen (hunting château), also known as Altes Forsthaus Freudenthal, was erected in 1595 by prince bishop Philipp Sigismund von Wolfenbüttel. The Schlossmühle, the castle's mill, was also erected by Philipp Sigismund. The Gografenhof, a classicism building, is used as the town hall since 1967. The kurhaus (spa facility/ resort) was opened in 1967 and torn down in 2010 following great local community debate (the area is now a grassed field and mainly used for local community events such as Schuetzenfest). Burg Scheventorf is a former water castle built in 1552, but its history dates from the 14th century. It is situated south of the town centre. Nearby Schleppenburg which was destroyed was also a water castle.

Sculptures

Bad Iburg has a number of sculptures made by Hans Gerd Ruwe from Osnabrück. These are the sculpture of Bishop Benno II, founder of the monastery, near the town hall, the Handwerkerbrunnen (craftsmen's fountain) in Große Straße, and the Trommlerbrunnen (drummer boy's fountain) in Glane. The Trommlerbrunnen reminds of the conferment of becoming a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

in 1764. File:BadIburgBennoII.JPG, Bishop Benno II File:BadIburgHandwerkerbrunnen.jpg, Handwerkerbrunnen File:BadIburgGlaneTrommlerbrunnen.jpg, Trommlerbrunnen

Personality

Sons and daughters of the town

(1668–1705), first queen of Prussia * William Westmeyer (1829–1880), composer and pianist

Personalities associated with the city

* Bishop Benno II (around 1020–1088) founded the Benedictine monastery. He was buried in the Catholic castle church in 1088 *

Eitel Frederick von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Eitel Friedrich von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (25 September 1582 – 19 September 1625) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal-Priest and Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück. He was a son of Charles II, Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and thus a member of the nob ...

(1582–1625), Bishop of Osnabrück, died in 1625 in Schloss Iburg

References

{{Authority control Osnabrück (district) Members of the Hanseatic League Spa towns in Germany