ON THE ROAD TO COLOGNE

2016

SCHLOSS HAEMELSCHENBURG

As we left Hameln Town on the River Weser and the Pied Piper for Cologne, we decided to drop by Schloss Haemelschenburg for a tour.  Only 10 miles along the road south, it was an easy decision.  I knew nothing at all about this schloss.  A little later, I wish I had done some research.  The road runs right in front of this magnificent structure.  It rivals Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria in beauty.  We stopped and took the short tour.  This place is a working farm and business with the original family still living there.  Schloss Haemelschenburg  was constructed beginning in 1588 by Jürgen von Klencke. It survived the 30 years war by the Countess making an arrangement with Count von Tilly, commander of the Catholic League Army, to not destroy it.  Interestingly, my ancestor Johann Obermiller, keeper of the army payroll for von Tilly, was probably there for the negotiation.

After the tour, we stopped to talk with the elderly man at the restaurant casa across the road.  He asked whether we like the ‘wisit’.  I always try to get my German friends to say ‘visit’, not ‘wisit’.  I do this by asking them to say ‘how’ auf Deutsch, which is pronounced ‘vee’, then quickly say ‘visit’.  We were going back and forth on this when a nicely dressed and clearly aristocratic man came over and asked Cheryl if he could be of assistance.  Note that men always address Cheryl if they get the opportunity, which I put down to the fact that she is beautiful and all men like an opportunity to talk with beautiful women up close. 

My elderly man managed to get ‘visit’ down once, and I turned to Cheryl’s conversation with the aristocrat.  She introduced me to Baron Lippold von Klencke, owner of the castle. I assured the Baron I was not having any problem with his employee, just correcting his pronunciation in a friendly way.  We proceeded to have a 30 minute conversation on a variety of subjects, including the ongoing refugee invasion.  I treaded very carefully with the refugee issue which is a delicate subject with the Germans.  The Baron had just returned from a conference held in Syria on this very subject.  I gathered his sympathies were with the Chancellor, where mine are most emphatically not.   He is confidant solutions to the influx are in the offing.

As our conversation wound down, I asked the Baron if he would have a bite of mittagessen with us.  He could not due to a wedding scheduled for that afternoon.  In fact, Schloss personnel were searching for him at that very moment.  Too bad we couldn’t continue to visit with this fascinating man.  The Hannover Kings of England came from this family; that would be the Georges from revolutionary war times.  I would loved to have continued our conversation. One never knows who one might meet travelling the world.