Henning Meyer
Ah! “Benvenuti in Piazza di Montelabbate” as we Italians say! Or: Welcome to Montelabbate-Square!
Why of all places are here in Hornburg, in northern Germany, such close ties to belissima Italia? Just trust me, I can tell you! About 1000 years ago, a man from Hornburg first became bishop in Bamberg and then pope in Rome, named Clement II. He was the very first ponifex to be born within the borders of what is now Germany. He died on a trip to central Italy, in the monastery of San Tommaso in Foglia, which today - you may have already guessed - belongs to the municipality of Montelabbate. Since 1980 there have been constant contacts, which ultimately led to a warm town twinning between Hornburg and Montelabbate. This connection is kept alive by a very active German-Italian friendship association! Molto, molto bene!
The Montelabbate-Square has even more to offer, namely one of Hornburg's most important sights. Just look at the beautiful large manor house from 1769.
In the middle of the 19th century, the town of Hornburg acquired the building to set up the local elementary school. When the school moved out in 1966 after more than 100 years, no decision had yet been made about its future use. Even demolition was considered. But in 1970 the Hornburg Local History Museum Support Group was founded and took action. First, the house was completely renovated, largely by volunteers. Then, with great effort and commitment, hundreds of exhibits, some of them top-class, were collected in order to ultimately create a museum experience space of more than 700m2. Various craftsmen's rooms, a half-timbered building section, exhibits and photos on the history of the former heavily guarded border to the German Democratic Republic. Furthermore a large model of the city in 1641 stands next to the memorial room for Clement II. On the upper floor of the house there is an exhibition room dedicated solely to the facsimile of the famous Gospel Book of Henry the Lion. There is also another special treasure on the upper floor, namely the city archive. It is the city's memory, which collects and preserves Hornburg's traditions, which date back to the 15th century.