Chapter III – Arrival of Beer and Monks
As the port of Hambeck was growing, ships were arriving in increasing numbers and news of other lords settling in nearby lands spread. Lord Occam decided to increase the defenses on his small castle on the island of Holm.
The height of the walls surrounding the buildings was increased for additional protection. Walkways were later added to make the wall easier to defend, but still lady Occam kept her little garden inside the now somewhat darker courtyard.
When sailing from the castle the lord and lady agreed that their small castle looked more proportionate now with the higher walls.
Meanwhile in the port of Hambeck, the first bar of the settlement opened its door, much to the enjoyment of the growing population. The bar was located just outside the market, so the traders could easily quench their thirst.
Next to the new church was a strange round hole. A new inhabitant by the name of Ambrosius explored the strange area and decided it could be used for his purpose. Ambrosius was an experienced innkeeper and decided to build of new inn on top of the deep hole. The basement of the inn would then connect to the round hole, providing ample space of vast amounts of beer to be chilled on the cold rock.
The inn was to be built with two stories, dining and drinking at the ground level and rooms for guests at the top.
The prospect of another place to enjoy cold Hambeck beer encouraged the builders to work fast, and in record time, the inn now called The Yawning Portal, was finished.
The spacious interior of The Yawning Portal was a tribute to the growing commercial life of the deep-water port of Hambeck. Behind the bar a staircase leads into the huge basement, where innkeeper Ambrosius has discovered additional passages leading from the round hole and further underground. There will be room for all the beer in the world...
That summer Lord Occam received an unexpected guest. The Cistercian monk Anselm arrived at the castle Holm requesting an audience. After long discussions with Lord Occam, it was decided that the large hill to the south of Hambeck would be donated to the Cistercian Order, which would then build an abbey there. This was the first abbey in the lands of Lord Occam and was thus followed with great interest.
Monks and workers began pouring into the settlement and after clearing most of the wood on the hill and leveling the terrain, the foundation for the most important part of the monastery was laid. The church would be built in romanesque style and would later be part of a large complex of buildings.
The construction of the new Cistercian abbey in Hambeck moved at an incredible pace. A small army of workers laboured from dawn till dusk to build the large abbey church.
As soon as one of the side wings was completed, an altar was consecrated. The many tall scaffoldings around the church are a dangerous place to work, and several lives were lost during the construction.
The big hill where the new abbey is being built has the most spectacular view of the forests surrounding the port of Hambeck.
The view from the top of the scaffoldings, high above the town, gives a great overview of the growing port.
Meanwhile, the settlers of Hambeck watch the walls of church rise day by day. The abbey will surely be a landmark and bring a number of pilgrims into the town.
On one of his many hunts in the forests, Lord Occam stood still for a long time, fascinated by the beauty of the building being built to the honour of God.
Finally one day, the whole settlement participated in a great ceremony, consecrating the now finished great church and marking the beginning of the Hambeck Abbey.
Inside the church, all the lights were lit to celebrate the construction of this wondrous monument. An altar made of the purest gold shone above the side altars made from the purest silver. Never before had the people of Hambeck seen such wealth in one place.
Everyone in Hambeck were amazed of the view inside the church, where a clear view from the floor to the top of the highest tower was offered.
With the abbey church, Hambeck had once again grown in splendor. Now the construction of the rest of the abbey could begin.
The day after the completion of the church, Lord Occam sent out one of his own trading ships. A trading agreement was to be made with the Duke of Hedenfall, so Lord Occam sent one of his most trusted men, Absalon, knight of Jaromar, to lead the expedition.
The small, but fast trading ship set its red sail just as the sun rose above the horizon and quickly sailed towards the lands of Hedenfall.
Soon after the completion of the abbey church, the construction of the monastery began. After some earth works, the foundations for the first building were laid.
The lower floor will house a number of individual cells for monks of higher rank, who will live as close to the altar in the church as possible.
The top floor houses the scriptorium with room for several brothers copying the holy texts of the library.
Work proceeded on the main building of the monastery and a small connecting wing. Together these form the cloister, the square space in the middle.
Already before the surrounding buildings were completed, the monks and abbot Anselm would enjoy the silence and calm of the cloister.
Even in the rain, the cloister was a pleasant place to stay and enjoy the flowers, the pond and remoteness from earthly matters.
The labourers worked at an incredible pace, and just in time before winter all three buildings had a completed roof. Much of the construction went relatively unnoticed to the citzens of Hambeck as the buildings of the abbey was separated from the town by the great church. That way, the monks of Hambeck Abbey would not be distracted by worldly matters.
The short connecting wing contained the lavatorium, the washing area for the monks.
The connecting wing led into the refectory, the great dining hall. Here the brothers would dine in silence, while a brother would read from the holy scriptures, sitting on the pulpit in the far end of the hall.
The refectory and the pulpit both had passageways directly into the church.
The monk reading the scriptures had a good view of his fellow brothers and could easily make sure no talking took place during the meal.
Beneath the refectory, the abbot had his office along with the other officers of the abbey, namely the precentor, the chamberlain, the sacrist and the almoner.
In the other end of the building another dormitory was constructed to house the growing number of monks.
Much to the pleasure of both Lord Occam and abbot Anselm, the first part of the Hambeck Abbey was now completed and the daily cycle of the monastery was running.
Now that all the labourers had returned home after a job well done, abbot Anselm and his brothers could enjoy the quiet and secluded monastery life.
Chapter IV – The clever Monks
The Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Hambeck were of a clever kind. Rereading their rights, granted by lord Occam, to build a monastery on top of the large hill south of the settlement, they noticed that they were actually given the whole hill, not just the top.
So several workers were summoned from nearby lands and transform the steep hill into terraces to build upon as well as stairs leading down to the riverfront.
Even before the terracing work was complete, lay brothers of the order built small houses, using the available space to the fullest.
As the terraces were completed, Lord Occam gave order to build a quayside along the riverbank. Even though the monks might have gotten the better of him, he would still claim the land beneath the hill for Hambeck itself.
Beneath the great staircase, a new service set up shop, namely a pilot to help the increasing number of trading vessels navigate both the Baltica ocean and the Sarum river.
To the delight of the monks of the abbey, their settlement beneath the abbey was growing. As the number of brothers were increasing, so was the need for supporting staff.
The building plot nearest the Baltika ocean was taken up by the meeting house for the lay brothers.
r /> From here the lay brothers had an excellent view of the ocean, the increasing amount of traffic and the castle of lord Occam.
Beneath the hill, two magnificent merchants houses sprung up. The wooden house was built by the representative for the Town of Tyche, while the large stone building became the House of Hedenfall, the first town to establish trading connections with the port of Hambeck.
The House of Hedenfall was the largest private house in Hambeck and had room for a wealthy merchant and his assistant as well as plenty of room for storing goods in the rear of the house and in the basement.
To be able to house even more goods, a small wooden annex was added to the stone house. Next to the house a narrow staircase led up to the terrace of Hambeck Abbey.
Shortly after the large House of Hedenfall had been completed, a representative from the Town of Andawerpum arrived, seeking permission to trade in Hambeck. Lord Occam, always happy to forge new trading connections, immediately agreed and gave the representative a plot of land to build a warehouse.
In the shady alleys behind the new merchant houses, some of the less fortunate found a place to live in small and dark sheds.
The three new magnificient merchant houses were a pride for the port of Hambeck and a source of joy for lord Occam. If only even more would arrive to turn the port of Hambeck into a bustling metropolis...
The once wild and forested hill had now been turned into a completely new neighbourhood in Hambeck. Brand new houses smelling of fresh wood now lined the hill of the monastery. The population of Hambeck has grown, but with more people comes more obligations for the lord. Resources, security and order must be provided for the town to grow..
To be continued…
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About the author
Benjamin Asmussen is a historian and museum curator, living in Copenhagen, Denmark. Find him on Twitter: b_asmussen
The story of the Port of Hambeck began on the website Minecraft Forum, where the original thread from september 2011 has been shown almost 100,000 times. Read more here: https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/show-your-creation/screenshots/1591250-the-port-of-hambeck
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