Old Parsonage

General information:

A jewel in good company – The very well preserved “Old Parsonage” from the year 1739 joins forces with “St. Jürgen’s Church” across the street and the “Dreetörhus” on the Südermarkt to form a lovely historical ensemble. The architect was Johann Georg Schott, who shaped and characterised the architectural “face” of Heide in many ways.

One of its most famous inhabitants was the Low German poet Sophie Dethleffs (1809-1864), who was born here. During her eventful life, she composed many poems and plays in Low German. 150 years after the death of the great poet, the novelist Inge Harländer embarked on a search for clues. She discovered that Dethleffs’s famous poem “De Fahrt na de Isenbahn” [“The Trip to the Railway”] (1850) was printed in a contemporaneous school book, directly next to works by Schiller and Goethe. Sophie Dethleffs died in poverty in Schröderstift in Hamburg, a facility for “needy members of the upper classes”. Long forgotten, her poems have recently been reissued and republished.

The old pastorate is being completely renovated with EU funding. After completion, it will house church facilities.