With letter and seal
The town of Freudenberg and its half-timbered silhouette have achieved international fame. But the sight we know has come a long way and has undergone two reconstructions. In 1666 there was the second devastating town fire, which destroyed not only buildings but also documents important to the town, such as the Flecken privilege. 21 years after the fire, the inhabitants of the village - Flecker - asked their sovereign to reconfirm the granted privileges. Thus it came about that Prince Wilhelm Moritz of Nassau-Siegen had that document drawn up.
The original with the inventory number A1 was well protected in the Freudenberg municipal archives.
Now it is to be presented to the population in the event series "350 Years of the Town Fire". Before this could happen, the explosive find had to be professionally framed. This challenge was taken up by the 4Fachwerk Museum in cooperation with HALBE.
09.06.16 - Mr. Brandemann and Mr. Theis enter the building with the contemporary document. It is to be framed on site in a short time for conservation purposes - so much for the theory. The document, the Letter of Freedom is not a somehow folded parchment document, but actually corded with a seal capsule made of walnut wood, in which the wax impression of the coat of arms of the Prince of Nassau is inserted. A frame that skilfully showcases this valuable three-dimensional document and protects it from UV rays and unauthorised removal, as well as providing support, had yet to be built. The custom-made frame with 25mm distance is already waiting for its object.
First of all, the valuable document had to be aligned in the frame. This in itself proved to be complex, as the edges of the document are by no means at right angles, which is why the lines of the largest block of text were ultimately chosen as parallels to the upper and lower edges of the frame. The elevated view from above, made possible by a ladder, was the visual deciding factor.
Transparent corner pockets, into which the paper is carefully inserted, and holders adapted to the "static" of the document material at the top and sides then allow it to be fixed in place. All parts had to be cut by hand to fit the respective nature of the document and the cord exit for the seal capsule had to be additionally underlaid.
The sealing capsule, which is a quasi independent cube with a specific accent due to its colour, massiveness and shape, also posed a challenge for the appropriate proportions. Thus, it had to be provided with holders made of steel pins in order not to pull the letter down with its weight.
The format and calligraphic design of the text make the significance of the document conscious - and now, thanks to the successful form of presentation in the picture frames - also apparent to the viewer. - Exhibition curator Gottfried Theis -