Fires - Fire destroys thatched museum building in Unewatt
A large fire at the Landscape Museum Angeln in Unewatt has completely destroyed the nearly 400-year-old Marxenhouse. Additionally, the main building of the museum was reduced to its foundation. The fire in the community of Langballig in the Schleswig-Flensburg district broke out on Saturday night around 1:00 am for unknown reasons, according to the fire department. The police are now investigating the cause of the fire. In the past few days, there have been multiple fires in the area - first straw bales, then garbage containers were on fire.
The historic Marxenhouse from the year 1626 depicted the lives and living conditions on the old farms. It was originally located in the community of Süderbrarup. There, it was dismantled in 1979, stored, and rebuilt in Unewatt in 1993. The Fachhallenhaus in the Marxenhof laid the foundation for the current Landscape Museum Unewatt. The farmyard consisted of the Marxenhouse and the Marxenscheune, where the administration of the Landscape Museum was also housed.
Deep Sorrow in the Region
"The loss of the Marxenhof evokes deep sadness. We are losing an invaluable cultural heritage from our region that cannot be regained in this form," said Wolfgang Buschmann, the district administrator (non-partisan), on Sunday. The leader of the Cultural Foundation of the District, Dirk Wenzel, emphasized that the region had "lost 400 years of shaping history of our region" with the Marxenhof. The cultural loss was particularly significant for future generations.
Langballig's Mayor Kurt Brodersen told NDR: "We are incredibly sad." The people of Langballig are proud of the museum village, and the Marxenhouse was the landmark and showpiece of the various museum islands.
More than 200 firefighters in action
Mark Rücker, the district fire chief, told the news portal "Foerde.News," that the burning building had already collapsed shortly after the fire started. Shortly thereafter, the similarly thatched-roofed main house of the museum village also caught fire. "Due to the full burn, the wind, and the fire spreading, the thatched roof of a neighboring building was also ignited," said Rücker. Firefighters had tried to rescue as many objects as possible from the approximately 200-year-old building.
"During the firefighting efforts, the fire department entered the building and rescued art and cultural objects and documents. However, this had to be abandoned because it had become too dangerous," said Jan Strohmer from the District Fire Department to NDR.
The roof structure of the main building of the museum burned down completely, but the fire department was able to save parts of the foundation. During the firefighting efforts with around 200 firefighters, three firefighters were injured. "Three of our firefighters had to be taken to the hospital due to circulatory collapse," said Rücker.
The fire department was called to tackle the large fire at the Landscape Museum Angeln in Schleswig-Holstein's Schleswig-Flensburg district, specifically in the community of Langballig. The fire department, with over 200 firefighters, worked tirelessly to contain the fire that had mysteriously started around 1:00 am on Saturday night. Despite their efforts, three firefighters suffered circulatory collapse and had to be hospitalized. NDR reported the incident, documenting the devastating impact of the fire that had destroyed the nearly 400-year-old Marxenhouse and left the main building of the museum reduced to its foundation.
