Stralsund city fortifications
The Stralsund city fortifications were a system of solid city walls , city gates as well as bastions and ponds that surrounded the Hanseatic city of Stralsund since the middle of the 13th century and were supposed to protect it from attacks.
The fortifications of the city, which is bordered by the Strelasund on the lake side , were further expanded after Stralsund became Swedish in 1648 . Stralsund was a bridgehead in Swedish Pomerania and its defense was considered immensely important. Until the occupation of Stralsund by Napoleon's troops in 1808, the facilities were maintained and expanded. The French had the city walls razed. Ferdinand von Schill had them erected again during his coup d'état, but by that time they had largely lost their importance for the protection of the city. After the city was de-fortified in 1873 under Prussian rule, the grounds were largely razed, the bastions were later turned into green spaces and all but three city gates were removed.
Today two city gates are still preserved and the city wall has been restored or reproduced true to the original in some places. The preserved city fortifications belong to the ensemble of the UNESCO World Heritage " Historic Old Towns Stralsund and Wismar ".
city wall
In 1256 the city wall is mentioned for the first time, which surrounded the entire city over a length of 3100 meters and originally consisted of earth walls, which were equipped with palisades . Since these walls offered little protection, stone walls were built after Lübeck's attack on the young city on Strelasund , founded in 1234 . In 1320 the city wall was completed. In the 13th century the fortifications consisted of pile work. It was gradually replaced in the late 13th century by a stone wall with towers and battlements. Large sections of the city wall with Wiek houses are still preserved at Am Knieperwall and Fährwall . Of the ten city gates, only the Knieper and Kütertor still exist.
The city wall was always maintained and expanded. In 1808 and 1809, the walls were razed on the orders of Napoléon Bonaparte , which Major Ferdinand von Schill had briefly reversed. From 1815 the Prussians continued to build the walls and fortifications. After Stralsund's fortress character was lifted in 1873, the city fortifications were quickly dismantled. The reasons for the rush were the need for space for new buildings and the increase in traffic that had been hindered by walls and city gates. In a contract of 1879, Prussia, to which Stralsund now belonged, transferred the city fortifications to the city of Stralsund. In 1887, the demolition work on most of the former fortifications was completed.
Today only a small part of the city wall is preserved. The city wall is partly formed by the outer walls of houses and monasteries. Thoroughly revised in the 1980s by Polish specialists and after 1990 in the course of urban redevelopment, this preserved part of the city wall offers an imposing sight.
City gates and bastions
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Stralsund had ten city gates. Some of them were completed before the actual city wall, for example the ferry gate is already occupied in 1278, the city wall only in 1287. Today only two of the city gates are preserved.
The city gates were divided into water gates ( gates built on the Stralsund sea side) and land gates . The beach gates included (from northwest to southeast) the Fahre gate, the Semlower gate , the bath gate, the Heilgeisttor, the Langentor and the Frankentor, to the land gates (from north to south) the Kniepertor , the Hospitaler gate, the Kütertor and the Tribseer gate Goal. The gates were constructed as an inner gate (towards the city) and an outer gate. Between these was a corridor ( kennel ), which became wider towards the outer gate. In addition, the corridor was mostly laid out at a slight angle to prevent shooting through the open gates. Other components of the city gates were drawbridges , locking chains and, of course, wooden , iron- shod gate wings, which were quickly closed at night and in case of defense. The city gates were open from sunrise to sunset. In order to receive money for the maintenance of the city fortifications, the rooms in the city gates were leased to the merchants. They stored goods here; in the event of a defense, however, they had to remove their goods immediately.
Until the fortress character of Stralsund was abolished in 1873, the bastions were an important part of the defenses. In a contract of 1879, Prussia , to which Stralsund now belonged, transferred the city fortifications to the city of Stralsund. Most of the once 13 bastions were planted and used for recreational purposes.
Bath gate
The bathing gate , one of the sea gates, was first mentioned in 1277. It was 9.75 meters wide and 10.30 meters high. It was located at the lake-side end of Badenstrasse towards the waterway . In 1877 it was torn down so as not to further hinder the increasing traffic.
Blue tower bastion
The blue tower bastion is located between the Frankenwall and the Frankenteich . The blue tower that gave it its name was a powder tower that was demolished in 1865 and got its name from the medieval name blue for dark, closed rooms. From 1897 to 1900 the higher boys' school , later named after one of its students, Gerhart Hauptmann School, was built on the site . The building was completely renovated from 1997 to 2004 and continues to serve as a school .
Fähror and Fährbastion
The ferry gate , one of the sea gates, was first mentioned in a document in 1278, i.e. before the city wall was mentioned for the first time. It was at the end of the ferry road towards the waterway . On the lake side the width was 32.30 meters, on the city side 21.80 meters. The depth was 20.50 meters and the height 17.10 meters. In the lower part of the two-part building there were accommodations for the ferrymen. The oldest pub on the European mainland ("Zur Fähre") can still be found here today. The ferry gate fell victim to the increasing traffic at the end of the 19th century and was demolished. Parts of the gate were integrated into the new building of a residential building in 1997.
The ferry bastion is located between the Strelasund and the Seestrasse and is also known as the wet triangle . Here, on the Sund promenade , there is a memorial stone for “those who remained at sea” while seafarers who perished during shipping.
Frankentor
The Frankentor , one of the sea gates, was first mentioned in a document in 1278, i.e. before the city wall was first mentioned. It was located at the lake-side end of the Frankenstrasse towards the waterway . It got its name from the Frankenstrasse in which it was located, which in turn was named after a Franke (or Vrancke ) family in the Middle Ages. There is therefore no reference to Swiss francs . In 1863 the Frankentor was demolished.
Heilgeisttor and Heilgeistbastion
The Heilgeisttor , one of the lake gates, was first mentioned in a document in 1279, i.e. before the city wall was first mentioned. It was located at the lake-side end of Heilgeiststrasse towards the waterway and was also named after Heilgeiststrasse. Remnants of the gate were removed in 1853.
The Heilgeistbastion is located between the Long Canal and the street Am Langenwall . There is a parking lot on it today.
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Hospitaler Gate and Hospitaler Bastion
The Hospitaler Tor , one of the country gates, was first mentioned in a document in 1278, i.e. before the city wall was first mentioned. It was located at the end of Mönchstrasse to Knieperwall and the Hospitaler Bastion, as well as the Hospitaler Damm that ran over the Knieperteich . The remains of the gate were removed in 1881. A memorial plaque attached to the city wall in Mönchstrasse has been a reminder of the Hospitaler Tor since December 2005.
The Hospitaler Bastion is located between Knieperwall and the northern part of the Knieperteich , in front of the former Hospitaler Gate . It was mainly used as a parade ground and in 1885 it was transformed into a garden based on a design by the garden architect Ferdinand Jühlke . On November 28, 1886, a war memorial was inaugurated on the bastion. This was demolished in the 1950s. A bunker has been located under the bastion since the 1950s and has been used as a bat quarter since the early 1990s. The former gardens are now used as a children's playground .
Johannisbastion
The Johannisbastion is located between Fährwall and Seestrasse . The fire station of the Stralsund professional fire brigade is located on this site today .
Catherine Bastion
The Katharinenbastion is located between Knieperwall and the southern part of the Knieperteich . The former Bastion is horticulturally been designed. A bunker has been under it since the 1950s .
Knee pertor and knee perbastion
→ Main article: Kniepertor
The Knieperbastion is located between Fährstraße or Seestraße and the Schill monument . On this bastion stood casemates , in which u. a. the Schill followers were held captive. The municipal lyceum was built here from 1911 to 1913, and its successor, the Hansa-Gymnasium, is still housed in this building today. In front of the building, the former Schillanlagen have been horticultural restored since 2003 .
Kronlastadiebastion
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The Kronlastadiebastion is located between the street Am Fischmarkt and the cross channel . The half-timbered house located here, built in 1865, was initially used as a shed for cannon wagons and later as a granary.
Kütertor and Küterbastion
The Küterbastion is located between Knieperwall and Küterdamm in front of the Kütertor . Here was a memorial stone inaugurated on July 23, 1923 with the inscription “Think about it 1914 and 1918”, which was removed after 1945. From 1929 there was a small zoo with various animals. At first it was deer that were kept here (the so-called deer garden ), later birds were presented until the beginning of the 1990s. Today there is a playground there.
Langentor
The Langentor , one of the sea gates, was first mentioned in a document in 1287, i.e. before the city wall was first mentioned. It was located at the lake-side end of Langenstrasse towards the waterway . It got its name from the street it was on. Remnants of the gate were removed at the end of the 19th century in order not to hinder the increasing traffic.
Mill Bastion
The mill bastion between Frankenwall or Tribseer Damm and the Frankenteich was landscaped in 1865. Today there is a kindergarten here .
Rifle bastion
The rifle bastion , which is located between Frankenwall , Karl-Marx-Straße and Weidendamm and the Frankenteich , got its name from its function as a shooting range . The bastion was enlarged in 1945 by filling it with rubble from the city that was bombed by the Allies on October 6, 1944 . Today the Stralsund bus station is located here .
Semlower Gate
The Semlower Tor , one of the sea gates, was first mentioned in a document in 1277, i.e. before the city wall was first mentioned. It was located at the end of Semlower Straße facing the waterway . It was 13.30 meters wide, 17 meters deep and 22.65 meters high and was used for residential purposes and as a storage facility for grain . In 1599 it was rebuilt. During the Second World War , it was badly damaged on the night of bombing on October 6, 1944. A ruin after the war, there was long discussion about its further use. Since the GDR and the city of Stralsund lacked funds for rebuilding at this time, the remains of the gate were blown up on June 29, 1960 despite protests. Remnants of the gate were integrated and made visible in an adjacent house that was renovated in 1998.
Tribseer Tor and Tribseer Bastion
The Tribseer Tor , one of the country gates, was first mentioned in a document in 1278 , i.e. before the city wall was first mentioned. It was at the end of Tribseer Straße towards Knieperwall and Tribseer Damm . In 1715 the Swedish King Charles XII moved. coming from his Turkish exile through the Tribseer Tor into the city. In 1770 the inner and outer gates were badly damaged in the explosion of the Köpken Tower , after which they were restored. In 1877 the gate was demolished. Today the former Reichsbank building is in its place.
The Tribseer Bastion is located between Frankenwall , Knieperwall and Bahnhofstraße as well as between the Frankenteich and the southern part of the Knieperteich , in front of the former Reichsbank building ( Tribseer Straße 1 ). It got its name from a family of Tribsees. It is landscaped impressively. A memorial for displaced persons has been located here since September 1997 .
Vineyard bastion
The vineyard bastion between Frankenwall and the Frankenteich served as a fairground until the 1960s . Since then there has been a parking lot here, which was replaced by a parking garage in 1996 . A bunker has been located under the bastion since the 1950s .
Dams and bridges
Frankendamm
The Frankendamm ran through the Stralsund area called Franconia. Its current shape was created by grinding the fortifications after the end of Stralsund's fortress times. Like the other streets and districts with the Franconian part of the name, it was not the Franks as a tribe that gave it its name, but a rich merchant family called Vranko or Franconia. After this family from the later Frankenstrasse (the family lived at the beginning of this street, which justified the name after it), other streets, such as Frankendamm and even urban areas, were named in the course of time. The Frankendamm has officially had this name only since 1869. However, this path was known as dammno vranconis as early as 1317. Before 1869 the relatively wide street was called Am Landwege. The section between the city center and the slaughterhouse was called Frankenkronwerk until 1953. From November 7, 1953 to November 16, 1961, the entire street was named after Stalin Josef-W.-Stalin-Strasse.
Knee perineum
The Knieperdamm (first mentioned in 1319) ran through the area of Stralsund, probably named after a bourgeois family Knieper. It also served as a dam for the city ponds and as a dam that was supposed to protect the ponds, which were used as a source of drinking water, against the water of the Strelasund running up during floods. Its current shape was created by grinding the fortifications after the end of Stralsund's fortress times.
Tribseer dam
The Tribseer Damm (first mentioned in 1306) was named after the Stralsund council family von Tribsees. A Conrad von Tribsees is mentioned in documents as early as 1270. The Tribseer Damm was named after this family, which is considered one of the oldest Stralsund families and has several councilors. The family probably originally came from Tribsees. The dam also served as a dam for the city ponds and as a dam that was supposed to protect the ponds, which were used as a source of drinking water, against the water of the Strelasund that ran up during floods. Its current shape was created by grinding the fortifications after the end of Stralsund's fortress times.
Willow dam
In 1919, the Weidendamm was artificially raised to allow smoother traffic into the city. At that time it was called "Zuckerdamm" because it led almost straight to the old Stralsund sugar factory . Since the embankment lined with willows could no longer cope with the traffic, a wider four-lane street, Karl-Marx-Straße , was built next to it . Both streets surround the Schützenbastion (see above), where today's bus station is located.
Küterdamm
The Küterdamm was named after the butchers who worked the innards of the animals (the küt) and who did their craft nearby. Its current shape was created by grinding the fortifications after the end of Stralsund's fortress times.
