Pause for a moment here at Haus Velmede. Its history is deeply entwined with the von Bodelschwingh family. This place witnessed significant moments in their lives.
Haus Velmede is located northeast of Dortmund. It was once part of the parish of Methler. Let’s step back to around 1853 to get a sense of its earlier days.
The Bodelschwingh family acquired Haus Velmede in the 17th century. Friedrich’s father spent his childhood here. The old moated castle stood for a long time uninhabited. It was eventually torn down around 1820. During visits, the family had to live in an old wagon shed. It wasn’t ideal.
The revolutionary events of 1848 prompted the family’s return to their ancestral home. A new building was needed. Ernst von Bodelschwingh commissioned a typical Prussian country house from a Berlin architect. A flower and orchard were also created. Imagine the scents and colors surrounding Haus Velmede then.
Friedrich attended the gymnasium in Dortmund during this time. His Sunday visits to Velmede were special. He later recalled one particular experience. As the family home came into view he repeatedly looked back. It seemed a rider was galloping behind him on the narrow path. He realized it was his own heart. It pounded so loudly with joy at the sight of his beloved home.
This impassioned style was characteristic of him. He would maintain this throughout his life. After completing his Abitur in March 1849 Friedrich initially wanted to study mining. However, after a visit to a mine in Dortmund he abandoned this career path. He also gave up studying philosophy in Berlin after a short time. He decided to pursue training in agriculture.
In late summer 1849, Friedrich began his apprenticeship at the Kienitz estate in Oderbruch. His master, Johann-Gottfried Koppe, was one of the few large landowners east of the Elbe. He rejected corporal punishment and demanded humane treatment of farm laborers. Friedrich spoke of the beet harvest from this period.
He endured fourteen uninterrupted weeks. He often worked from morning until 8 p.m. He couldn’t go home for lunch. His midday meal was sent out in a small basket to the roadside. As monotonous as this work seemed it brought him great joy. He alleviated the monotony by reading stories to his poor beet field workers during breakfast and lunch.
Friedrich regarded his apprenticeship as preparation for life. He also stylized agricultural work as beneficial for everyone. Still under the impressions of the Revolution of 1848, he valued a retreat to the countryside. He saw it as an opportunity to find peace and quiet. He wrote to his father in 1853.
His agricultural apprenticeship had undoubtedly been the richest period of his life. It would probably always remain the most pleasant memory. He would not want to miss it for anything. He would advise everyone the lawyer, the forester and the miner to complete an agricultural apprenticeship. It would secure a refuge for their whole life that could be bought with money. This would be especially useful if peace and independence were no longer available in public life.
In the spring of 1851, Friedrich von Bodelschwingh volunteered for military service. His company commander in the Kaiser Franz Grenadier Regiment in Berlin was his cousin. His cousin urged him to become an officer. However, after a severe lung and pleurisy infection the regimental doctor declared him unfit for service. On January 14, 1852, he was discharged. It was said he was discharged due to chronic tightness of the chest. He was deemed unfit for use by the replacement authority.
At the beginning of 1852 he became an agricultural inspector. He served the landowner Ernst Freiherr Senfft von Pilsach. Senfft von Pilsach was a friend of his father. He owned a 17,000-acre estate in Gramenz, Hinterpommern.
Haus Velmede then was more than just a building. It was a backdrop for formative experiences in Friedrich von Bodelschwingh’s life. It shaped his values and direction. Take a moment to appreciate how this place influenced a man who would later make significant contributions to society.