Vellinghausen

Battle of Villinghausen monument at Löwenwäldchen woods along Vellinghauser Straße in Welver.

Vellinghausen (Villinghausen, Wellinghausen), village in the former Prussian district of Arnsberg, now quarter of the town of Welver, in the district of Soest, Germany. On 15 and 16 Juli 1761 the Battle of Villinghausen was fought here between the allied army of 65–70,000 troops led by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick and the French army of 100–140,000 men under generals Broglie and Soubise.

The Battlefield at Vellinghausen

View from Dinker Berg hill north-east towards Vellinghausen.
View from Dinker Berg hill north-east towards Vellinghausen
Vellinghausen Castle still stands on the very spot where the battle was fought.
Vellinghausen Castle still stands on the very spot where the battle was fought.

Vellinghausen Castle, situated about 1.1 km south-west of the Lippe river, marks the extreme left flank of the allied position. On the first day of battle, the gap between the castle and the Lippe river was held by a single battalion of the Légion Britannique (Udam or Appelboom). On the second day, a battalion of highlanders (Keith or Campbell) was deployed here as well. To the right of the castle stood a regiment of Hessian infantry, 100 men of which occupied the castle itself.

Points of interest on the Battlefield at Vellinghausen

  • Earthworks and monument at the Löwenwäldchen, Vellinghauser Straße in Welver
  • Vellinghausen Castle
  • Allied positions at Köhner Weg in Welver
  • Allied camp and artillery positions on Dinker Berg
  • Mass grave along Bünninghauser Straße in Lippetal
  • Diorama of the Battle of Villinghausen at Heimathaus Welver

Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, the Marquis de Sade, 21 years of age at the time, and captain of cavalry in the Regiment de Bourgogne cavalerie since 1759, served in the Battle of Villinghausen with his regiment.

Bibliography

  • Großer Generalstab (Hg.): Geschichte des siebenjährigen Krieges in einer Reihe von Vorlesungen, mit Benutzung authentischer Quellen, bearbeitet von den Offizieren des Großen Generalstabs. Band 5: Der Feldzug von 1761 (Berl. 1937)
  • Archenholz, Johann Wilhelm von: Geschichte des Siebenjährigen Krieges in Deutschland (Berl. 1940)
  • Groehler, Olaf: Die Kriege Friedrichs II (Berl. 1989)
  • Menneking, Friedrich: Victoria by Vellinghausen 1761 (Paderb. 1989)

Source: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, 6. Auflage 1905–1909

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