Vellenberg (Tyrol, Austria)
Vellenberg, a castle four miles southwest of Innsbruck, Austria, today a significant ruin; in the 16th century it had a tower in which Anabaptists were imprisoned. Hans Mandel, who lay there in 1561, described it thus: "It is rather deep, I have heard six fathoms; but it has a small window at the top and the sun shines in a while, so that it is light." It was then full of vermin and especially bats. Jörg (Georg) Liebich lay in this dungeon for years (1538-1542). Ursula Hellrigl, who was arrested for her faith at the age of 18 and spent 5 years in three dungeons, was in the Vellenberg tower for 1½ years.
Bibliography
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: IV.
Zieglschmid, A. J. F. Die älteste Chronik der Hutterischen Brüder: Ein Sprachdenkmal aus frühneuhochdeutscher Zeit. Ithaca: Cayuga Press, 1943.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 805. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.
©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
MLA style: Hege, Christian. "Vellenberg (Tyrol, Austria)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 24 May 2013. http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/vellenberg_tyrol_austria.
APA style: Hege, Christian. (1959). Vellenberg (Tyrol, Austria). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 May 2013, from http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/vellenberg_tyrol_austria.
