I wonder what the first big Project will be ?
Hello and welcome to Wolfgang

Hi Paul, thank you!

TEUTONIC ORDER 1329

The planning for the big diorama for the Teutonic Knights have been completed. Our team consists of 10 Diorama hobby friends. Torsten Burgdorf, Bill Worlitzsch, Wolfgang Meyer, Patrick Ullrich, Alex Gussev, Andreas Hofmann, Michel Vogt, Dirk Risser, Michael Buchmann and Paul Hedges are about.

The diorama will measure 3 m by 3 m. In our diorama-museum, it will be given pride of place on an elevated stage. Viewers will be able to watch it from three sides, the fourth side will be attached to the wall. This setup allows for a clear view on all the details. The wall side will possibly be used for a photographic background.

We are planning to build a ficticious town on a river, around a castle of the Teutonic Order. The castle is protected by walls and a moat. The fortress will measure ca. 1 m by 1 m on the diorama. It will consist of several fortified buildings. In its walls, there will be two gates and a drawbridge. On the western side, there will be a so-called Dansker, i.e. a tower accomodating toilets over a waterstream . Another large tower will be in the northwestern corner of the fortress, on the top of which there will be placed a trebuchet.

On the southern (lower) side of the castle, the buildings will be open to allow viewing the inner rooms. There will be a vaulted convent hall, sporting three large traceried windows looking towards the inner courtyard. In this hall, the knights are gathering for a banquet. The ground floor has but few windows. On this floor, there are storage rooms, large kitchens and the like. This floor will be vaulted as well.

Residential building: Being situated eastern (right) on the edge of the diorama, this house will be open as well. Here, the bathing scenes sculpted by Alex will be put to good use. Another idea for the ground floor is a tavern, in which a brawl is going on.

Market square: This will be the centre of life of our medieval town. There will be lots of stalls, with vendours selling furs and warm clothing to the crusaders. Of course among the multitude of customers, there will be non-combatants, beggars, jesters and pickpockets.

Storage building: This building is situated right on the river bank. Here, a large cog and some smaller vessels are being unloaded. On the round tower towards the right side of this building, there will be another trebuchet.

Barbican: On the other side of the river, there is a small barbican controlling the wooden bridge across the river. Some merchants passing through to the town market are being checked by the guards in the courtyard. The bridge consists of a two-winged drawbridge enabling smaller vessels to pass through.

While our diorama will not portray any specific place it will show all the typical attributes associated with late medieval red-brick towns and castles: town walls with chemins de ronde, different types of tower, drawbridges, portcullises and moats.

Scenario
A.D. 1329, late autumn. At our town the knights of the Teutonic Order and a host of crusaders are gathering for a winter campaign against Poland. This campaign is supposed to avenge an invasion of Brandenburg and Masovia, allies of the Order, by a Lithuanian and Polish
army. For weeks, the crusaders have been arriving. They are waiting for the first frost, which will provide better conditions for crossing the swamps and rivers into enemy country.
To the east of the town a great host of crusaders has pitched camp. The Marshall of the Order is in the town to take command. The Grand Master of the Order is expected to arrive today with his retinue.
Castle, town and camp are busy with people coming and going. In the castle a great banquet is to be held. Many merchants are visiting, it is market day. The crusaders kill their time gambling and jousting. In their camp, too, merchants are offering furs, winter clothing, weapons and armour. Whenever another merchant or traveller arrives they are checked by the guards at the town gates. Spies try to find out about the strength of the crusading army and to be let into the town. By the riverside, goods are unloaded and more crusaders arrive by boat.
The market square by the eastern gate is busy as well. There are many stalls attracting customers from the crusader camp, many townspeople, jesters, beggars and pickpockets.
Many pass their time drinking in one of the town’s taverns. Back then, beer was the most important drink. One or the other have had one too much.

Best regards,

Wolfgang

Here the first buildings, they are all scratch.

Best regards,

Wolfgang

We would like for their support in this great megaproject thank Jens and Alex by Valdemar and Conny of Fredericus Rex.

Thank you!

In the future, we want to show all the news about the project here.

Best regards,

Wolfgang

Torsten is currently working on new semicircular tower for the city walls. After some experimentation, we have decided to also use this semicircular tower to cancel bulky. A smaller version as envisaged before just did not look.
Torsten also has a new piece of city wall created a new painting. The field fire stones at the brick wall painted in over 30 different colors. The more effort was definitely worth it, the result is great and looks very natural.

Here are the first pictures of the new city wall segment, partly with the roof removed and part of the battlements. For scale, with 1 / 72nd figures.
















best regards, Wolfgang

Here the first painted figures for our medieval bathhouse.
Figures: Valdemar
Painting: Roland Kupski






























best regards, Wolfgang

Here a mobile phone photo of the current stage of construction of the half round tower.

Work in progress





Best regards,

Wolfgang

Here the newest figures for the diorama:

Figures: Toma
Painting: Dirk Risser


















Figures: Alex/Valdemar
Painting: Roland Kupski









Best regards,

Wolfgang

Here the next figures:


Figures: Alex/Valdemar
Painting: Roland Kupski









Wolfgang

Hi Jens,

This is a good news, thank you.
You show two times the Elbinger kogge and not the knarr, but I think you have only sent once the Elbinger kogge, right?

Photos Mobilphon
The first version of the half round tower is finished cast in resin and still needs to be painted.











Best regards, Wolfgang