Herman Reiminch

By Jørn Christiansen

Herman Reiminch is my 11^th Great-Grandfather; he was born around 1550 in Coesfeld, Westphalia in Germany. He immigrated to Denmark around 1580 because of violent religious disputes in his home region; Coesfeld was located in the border area between Catholics and Protestants.

St. Lamberti Church in Coesfeld was rebuilt many times, but inside the Church
you will find parts of that time Herman probably was baptized here.

Here I stand at the baptismal font from 1504;
it is cast in bronze by Reinholt Widenbrock.

This impressive crucifix is carved in wood in the middle of the 14th century,
and has thus been there on Herman Reiminch’s time.

Around 1585 Herman Reiminch married Margrethe Schumacher, daughter of the Lord Mayor Wilhelm Schumacher in Haderslev, who also came from Coesfeld. About the same time, on the 5. March 1585, Reiminch got authorization to create the first pharmacy in Kolding, the fourth in Denmark after Copenhagen, Viborg and Haderslev. In Haderslev was pharmacist Antonius Battus also from Coesfeld, he was the brother-in-law to Herman since he was married to Margrethe's sister Mette.
In the official letter books reads, in old language: Permission for Herman Reiminch to create a pharmacy in Kolding; he must keep it well supplied with fresh herbs, Species, confectionery products and other necessary and sell its products at a fair price. He must be free of all Royal and citizen tax he is allowed with his pharmacy freely to go to which Municipality he desires, where either kept Markets, or where the King keeps Court, to sell its products. Furthermore, he must keep the wine cellar at its pharmacy, which he must keep fitted with good Wine, so the King's people and other guests in the city was able to obtain Wine at a reasonable Price; However, other citizens, which also have Authorization to keep wine cellar in the city, are still allowed to sell their wine.

He must have earned well as pharmacist; ten years after, in 1595, he built this magnificent House for his pharmacy:

The House has been restored several times, and it stands today as one of Denmark's most glorious timber-framed houses. Bars in the binding site is carved with figures after German practice, and above the door, there is a verse in old German, the year 1595 and the initials HR and MR for Herman Reiminch and Margrethe Reiminch:

Above the Windows, there are the carved angels:

Herman Reiminch was also a merchant, and over the years there have been multiple merchants in the house or yard. In 1825 the yard was bought by J. P. Borch. The yard has since then been named  “Borchs Gaard” (Borch’s yard), and in addition to the main house, there were stables and storage buildings behind it. These buildings have been removed, the last as late as 1970, and now there is a parking space, which is also called Borchs Gaard.

Here is the back of the House seen from the car park.

Around 1585 a drawing was made with Kolding city, and the only buildings from the drawing, which still exists, is the Castle and Saint Nicolai Church. In the drawing below, however, is seen a large empty site south of the Church and it could be here Reiminch has built his house:

 In 1582 a new City Hall was built:

The pharmacy is seen just to the left of the City Hall. Notice the wind-wing with the ball at the City Hall, it was in 1839, when City Hall was demolished, moved onto the pharmacy, where it still sits. Merchant Borch was one of the driving forces for the construction of a new City Hall, and he got the wind-wing to his house.

The old wind-wing at Borchs Gård

Herman Reminch died in 1598; he was buried in the choir in Saint Nicolai Church. The priest wrote in the old church book:”that he was a strange good, pious Man and Merchant. God give him a blessed Resurrection ".
After Herman's death the widow Margaret Schumacher got Royal authorization to continue the pharmacy.
Margaret died in 1635 and was buried beside Herman under the choir of the Church. There has been an epitaph for both of them, however it does not exist any more, but the heirs donated the church a grid made in the same Renaissance style as their house. The grid separated the choir from the nave, but it is now moved and separates the choir and the sacristy.

Here is the old nice carved grid.

Edited 11^th of July 2011