A tower full of knights, rogues and carnivalists
The Schelment Tower is one of the oldest surviving buildings from medieval Heerlen. Originally it was a fortress tower, then a prison and aldermen's court. In recent years it served as the home base for city carnival association the Winkbülle. At the end of this Heritage Year, the tower will open its doors as a public access location, making its special history accessible and visible to the public.
A unique place full of knight and knave stories
Heerlen's Schelmentoren has exciting stories attached to it. The Lords of Ahr-Hochstaden ruled there. And rogues and billygoat riders were imprisoned there. Heerlen city historian Anouck van Aalst and a team are currently setting up the medieval tower as a museum, where you can immerse yourself in the tower's functions over the centuries.
Donjon
"Actually, it was always thought that the Lords of Ahr-Hochstaden built the Schelment tower in the 12th century as a 'donjon' or fortified residential tower," says Anouck. "There is just no evidence of habitation. So it could also be the case that the Schelmentoren was just a defense tower. An original piece of the medieval wall can still be seen behind the Pancratius Church."
In the jail
"The Schelm tower did serve as a prison. And it is quite possible that it served as a bench of aldermen," continues Anouck, "Schelm is an old Dutch word for criminal and in the basement there were small cells or cachotten. You were thrown in there if you were arrested for drunkenness, for example, and had to sleep it off. Or if you had to wait for trial if you had done something wrong. From court documents, which have been preserved, we can get a good idea of the norms and values at that time. For example, if you had sold someone sour wine, you had to drink an entire bottle of that sour wine at the pillory in front of the village. As simple as such an honor punishment may seem today, in those days it could be a death sentence if you were no longer respected by the village and left out of the community."
"In the 18th century, the cachots were moved to the top floor," concludes Anouck. "After all, from there it was less easy to escape from your cell. However, it was not impossible. Some alleged billygoat riders still managed to escape. In the process, they killed the jailer."
Open to the public
In December, the Schelment Tower will open its doors to the public and, through authentic objects and multimedia, everyone can learn about the tower's functions over the centuries: from defensive post and prison to cultural heritage.