Journal of Samuel Kiechel
29 June – 2 July 1585
From Brandenburg to Brunswick
“I found a man willing to guide me to Goslar. We left early in the morning, but one mile outside the city, we had already taken a wrong turn. I asked my new companion if he really knew the way, and he admitted that he had never been to Goslar.“
Die Reisen des Samuel Kiechel aus drei Handschriften, K. D. Haszler (ed.), Stuttgart 1866, pp. 7-8; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek.
Local Knowledge
Samuel Kiechel and his companion, a carter he had met in Spandau, stayed in Brandenburg for one night before continuing their journey the following day. They arrived in a village called Nidlig in the evening. Our traveller was hungry but couldn’t buy food there. He explained that it was a regional custom not to sell food to strangers. Because Kiechel was unaware of this custom, he did not carry any provisions. However, he noted that beer was readily available.
The availability of food and the need to buy provisions were issues our traveller often encountered. Sometimes, the lack of food resulted from political instability or war in a region. At other times, the local people were unwilling to sell anything or did not have enough food.
A country inn
Kiechel’s casual observations about his journey through the Margraviate of Brandenburg reveal one fundamental yet, for modern times, difficult-to-understand aspect of sixteenth-century travel. Regardless of the degree of personal education at the time, knowledge about the world was limited. For Samuel Kiechel, who grew up in Swabia in southern Germany, the northern part of the Empire must have already seemed distant. He may have heard of the larger territories and their Princes, but likely knew little about the landscape, people or local customs. Without our comprehensive modern education and easy access to contemporary media, learning about places beyond the familiar horizon was difficult. Unlike today, in the sixteenth century, knowledge of other regions and cities was not widespread but very localised.
Therefore, our traveller considered it noteworthy to mention that the people of Brandenburg used wheelbarrows to transport goods or that there was a local custom of not selling food to strangers. The mention of a local custom may have been accurate or a convenient excuse. Our traveller was not in a position to know the difference.
The Value of Travelling Companions
When we leave our homes to travel, the decision to go alone or with others is more about convenience than necessity. Travelling in a group is mainly for social reasons, as it is more enjoyable to journey with others.
In the early modern period, travelling alone was not advisable. Companions offered safety and protection from fraud, theft and bandits. Navigation was also a concern because road signs and maps were basic at best. To reach their destination, travellers relied on a guide or companion familiar with the area.
Kiechel changed his companions in the village of Nidlig. He found another carter, and together, they travelled to Helmstedt. Travelling with a carter was a good choice. Due to his profession, the man needed to be familiar with the roads. Additionally, he provided transportation so that Kiechel did not have to walk.
Samuel Kiechel left the carter in Helmstedt and looked for someone to guide him to Goslar. He found a man who claimed to know the way, and they set out together. But soon, our traveller learnt that his new companion had not told the truth. Just one mile outside the town, he realised they were already lost. Kiechel questioned his guide, who admitted he had never been to Goslar. However, despite his companion’s lack of knowledge of the route, our traveller decided to stay with him until they eventually reached the city.
About an hour after lunch, the two travellers arrived at a large field. The narrow road passed by the field, and in the distance, Kiechel spotted two men. As he drew nearer, he noticed that one of them was carrying a basket with various items on his back. The man appeared to be selling something to the other person. The man with the basket stopped Kiechel and pulled a Thaler (a large silver coin) out of his pocket. He asked our traveller if he could change it. Kiechel was suspicious of this request. He excused himself, saying he had no money, and walked away quickly.
In Kiechel’s view, he had been lucky to travel with a companion. He would not have dared refuse the two men if he had been alone. He suspected the request to change the coin was a trick to see if he had money, and then, the two men might have robbed him.
Banditry, theft and fraud were common dangers for travellers to watch out for. The threat was especially dire in remote or unstable regions, such as war zones, where authorities either could not or would not intervene. However, even in safe and stable areas, there was a risk that people might take advantage of a lost traveller. Samuel Kiechel’s brief account of the two men he met in the field does not suggest any criminal intent. Still, Kiechel considered them untrustworthy and potentially dangerous. He mentioned that only his companion’s presence had saved him from being robbed.
In Goslar
The two travellers continued their journey to Goslar and arrived there in the evening. According to Kiechel, Goslar is an imperial city nestled at the foot of the Harz Mountains. It is old and poorly built.
The Harz Mountains are located in the German states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. During the medieval and early modern eras, mining became a major industry there because of the rich deposits of silver, copper, lead, iron and zinc in the mountains.
One of the places that benefited from the mining boom was Goslar. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the city was a favourite residence of several German kings. When the political centre of the Holy Roman Empire shifted south, Goslar maintained its autonomy and became an imperial city. A key source of the city’s wealth was the Rammelsberg. This mountain, just outside Goslar, has been mined for centuries.
Samuel Kiechel left his companion and supposed guide in Goslar. They had initially agreed to travel to Brunswick together, but the man admitted he was not familiar with the route. Our traveller had to find another guide.
After a short search, Samuel found a man willing to travel with him. He describes his new companion as looking ‘very thirsty’. In this context, the phrase suggests that he considered the person untrustworthy, greedy or prone to excessive drinking. He did not explain why he chose a guide he deemed suspicious. Perhaps he could not find anyone else and wanted to avoid spending too much time in Goslar.
Along the Harz Mountains
The two men left the next morning and walked to Wolfenbüttel, thirty kilometres to the north. The town was the residence of the Princes of Wolfenbüttel. They arrived at lunchtime along a road that passed the ducal palace. Kiechel observed that it was fortified, and a river from the Harz Mountains flows around it.
Wolfenbüttel had been destroyed in 1542 when an army of the Schmalkaldic League, an alliance of Protestant Princes and free cities in the Empire, expelled Duke Henry II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1489–1568). Henry was an ally of Emperor Charles V and the last Catholic prince in northern Germany. He was captured by the League and imprisoned. After Charles’ victory over the Protestant Princes in 1547, Henry was released and returned to Wolfenbüttel. However, his efforts to eradicate Protestantism in the Duchy failed. His son Julius (1528–1589) established the Reformation permanently. Duke Julius rebuilt and fortified Wolfenbüttel, as well as his palace there. He added a new suburb to the city, with canals built by Dutch engineers. The palace and canals are now the city’s main tourist attractions.
Because Wolfenbüttel was only an hour from Brunswick, Kiechel and his companion did not stay. They continued their journey and arrived in the evening.
Illustrations & References
All images are in order of first appearance with links to sources on external websites:
- Willem Schellinks, Italiaans landschap, 1637 – 1678, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
- van Ostade, Isaac, Country inn with horse and wagon, 1640 – 1649; Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
- van de Velde, Jan, Markt, serie B, 1603 – 1633; Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
- Ortelius, Abraham, Theater of the World, Antwerp 1587, fol. 47; Library of Congress.
- van de Velde, Jan, Figuren op een landweg bij een boerderij, 1616; Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
- Saftleven, Herman, Berglandschap met gezicht op een dal, 1619 – 1685; Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
- van Cleve, Hendrick, Landschap met bergen en een kronkelende weg, 1588; Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.