Old Town (Freistadt)

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Plan of the old town with sights

Most of the city's sights are located in the mostly listed old town of Freistadt . The most striking are the two tall towers, the church tower at 67 meters and the keep at 50 meters, which are also the tallest buildings in the city. The medieval core is almost completely intact and clearly visible. It includes the defense towers and the city fortifications, which date from the 14th and 15th centuries. Some of the around 150 town houses are also among the sights. The houses have remained largely unchanged since the last great city ​​fire in 1516, only the facades of some were redesigned in the baroque period. The core of the old town, the main square, is one of the city's sights due to its size.

Defense towers and city fortifications

Section through the city fortifications (castle museum)
Renovated battlement at the Scheibling Tower

Freistadt is one of the few cities in Austria whose medieval defenses have been almost completely preserved. The listed city wall is around two kilometers long; a hiking trail runs along the outer mantle wall or in the former city moat. The following are still in good condition:

  • the deep and wide moat around the city, which also has a brick mantle wall on the outside,
  • the completely preserved outer city ​​wall (= Zwingermauer)
  • the kennel with the defense towers and
  • the inner city wall (= curtain wall)

These four medieval fortifications formed the line of defense. The battlements at a height of five meters on the inner city wall can be viewed in a restored part near the Scheibling Tower. The Zwinger now serves as a guest garden for some inns. The former city moat on the west side between the Linzertor and the Böhmertor is privately owned and partly serves as an orchard. The rest of the moat (east side) is open to the public and has hiking trails and playgrounds. The part between the Böhmertor and the Finsteren Promenade offers a kind of botanical garden with native plants (due to the harsh Mühlviertel climate). In the 1990s, another entrance (the sixth) to the old town was built from the Finsteren Promenade, which leads into the outer courtyard.

There used to be a defense tower at every corner of the city, six of these eight defense towers are still standing today. The other two fell victim to fires, whereby the former tower at the Salzhof was made more visible again during the last restoration in 2003. There is also a ninth tower that served as a demonstration of force at the former town hall and had no defensive function. The Posttürl is not a fortified tower in the strict sense.

Linzertor and Böhmertor

In the Middle Ages there were two gate towers with drawbridges so that one could get into town by horse and cart. These two gate towers, the Linzertor and the Böhmertor , are the oldest structures in the city fortifications and were built when the city was founded. The Linzertor stands in the south of the old town, was Gothicized around 1485 and is 28 meters high today. The name above the passage kk (imperial-royal princely city of Freystadt) indicates that Freistadt belonged to the sovereigns ( Babenberger , Habsburgs since 1282 ). The Böhmertor is twelve meters high and forms the exit to the north. Today only the outer walls are preserved, as the wooden interior fittings were destroyed by flames in 1885.

Post door

Posttürl (reconstructed)

In the Middle Ages there was a third way to get into the city, the so-called Posttürl . This gate in the southeast was a back door to the city and, due to the difference in level between the city moat and the main square (around ten meters), designed as a staircase. The post door was at the Weyermühlturm and was used for internal goods traffic. Only one photograph of this door has survived; it was demolished after the fire of 1887. The original post door was at least ten meters deep (from the inner city wall to the outside) and eleven meters high. The door was only four feet wide; inside there was a very steep staircase (steeper than today). A drawbridge led across the moat and a pointed arched gate with two wings marked the entrance. Like many other things in Freistadt, this gate was rebuilt by master stonemason Mathes Klayndl around 1485 and redesigned again in the Renaissance around 1616. In the 19th century, after the demolition, the staircase, which is visible and accessible today, was created, the post staircase. The demolition material was poured into the city moat, so that its original depth of around three meters is no longer preserved today. The post door was used to get quickly from the city to the city mill and the surrounding suburbs.

Weyermühlturm

Weyermühlturm

The steeply sloping east side of the city is less well protected by defense towers than the easily accessible west side; the difference in height of around ten meters provided natural protection. There is only one other tower between the former post door and the castle keep , the Weyermühlturm . This semicircular tower was formerly called the backyard tower. The Weyermühlturm is around nine meters high and stands on the south-east corner of the city, next to the post office staircase. In contrast to the other defense towers, this one almost comes close to the mantle wall. The reason for this type of construction is that the emergency mill and a water lock were located between the outer city wall and the tower. The tower has huge walls with a thickness of 3.5 meters, had narrow shooting hatches in the Middle Ages and served to protect the city mill (Weyrmühle). Nevertheless, in 1626, during the Upper Austrian Peasants' War , the farmers managed to drain the pond on the north side, the so-called Wührgraben, and to conquer the city via the Posttürl. Today's view is that Freetown citizens helped the peasants to conquer. The tower used to have a wooden parapet, the roof that is visible today dates from 1875. The emergency mill extends down to the former valley floor of the city moat, but the bottom floor was filled in and is no longer visible today.

Dechanthofturm

Dechanthofturm seen from the Roßbergl

To the west of the Weyermühlturm stands the round Dechanthofturm , also known as the Pfefferbüchsl or the Powder Tower . It stands right next to the kennel wall, is around 21 meters high and has a diameter of 7.5 meters. This tower in the south of the city was only built in 1440 and is one of the city's youngest defensive structures. The tower's tasks were to protect the water outlet from the city moat and the swell walls in the city moat with a free field of fire in the kennel on three sides. Since this tower, together with the Scheibling Tower, was only built after the end of the Hussite Wars (1434), there must have been problems with the water inflow from the Frauenteich and the outflow into the Feldaist during this war .
Today the Dechanthofturm is considered the most beautiful defensive tower in the city. This is justified with the location and the construction (round, pointed conical roof with three roof cores).

Schmidingerturm or Bürgerkorpsturm

Citizen corp tower with city moat

In addition to the Dechanthofturm and the Linzertor, the Schmidingerturm , formerly known as the Heimatbund tower and since 1967 also known as the Bürgerkorpsturm , is located in the southwest of the city . This semicircular tower is around 13.5 meters high and has a wall thickness of 2.7 meters at the bottom and 1.2 meters at the top. The city moat is 4.2 meters deep in this area. It is believed that the tower was previously open to the rear and that any of the four floors could be used for defense. In addition, there was a connection with the battlements. The shooting hatches of this tower are directed into the kennel and the moat. The tower has been walled up at the back for 20 years and has been home to the citizen corps since 1967 , hence its name. Wooden water pipes that were found in the city moat in 1988 are on display in the kennel.

Tower at an angle

The next tower to the north (Böhmertor) was the tower in the corner or Petringerturm . It fell victim to a fire around 1815 and was finally demolished in July 1834. The tower in the corner was semicircular and possibly open to the city. It served to strengthen the Zwingermauer and was built as mighty as the Bürgerkorpsturm or the Weyermühlturm. These three towers date from the late 14th century when the city wall was expanded (1363-1396). The foundation walls can still be seen today in the city moat; The remains were used to build the bridge over the moat (1835). With this fourth access to the city, a possibility was created to drive into the city in larger and tall vehicles via Pfarrgasse (formerly St. Peter-Gasse). Today this city entrance for motor vehicles is the most important gateway to the city.

Salzhofturm or Altenhofturm

Salzhofturm (reconstructed)

The rectangular Altenhofturm or Salzhofturm stood between the tower in the corner and the Scheibling tower. This tower also fell victim to a fire around 1815, but was brought back to its best advantage in 2003 through the renovation of the Salzhof . After the fire, the top two floors were demolished. The stump visible today has an area of ​​9 by 7.8 meters. The wall thickness is 2.3 meters. This tower on the west side stood in the inner city wall and strengthened it in this area. Originally an independent building, it was later connected to the Salzhof.

Scheibling tower

Scheibling tower with a new entrance

The round Scheibling tower in the inner city wall stands at the northwest corner . This round, 25 meter high tower, the fourth tallest in the city, was built at the same time as the Dechanthofturm and is one of the city's youngest defensive structures. Like the Dechanthofturm, it also serves to secure the water inlet from the Frauenteich and strengthens the city wall in this section. Originally the tower was only 21 meters high, today's wedge roof was built in the 20th century.
The tower was also home to the Stadtkotter, the prison at the time, which could only be entered from the battlement on the first floor. The cell on the first floor was reached through a hole in the vault with a diameter of 60 centimeters. The height of the room was seven meters; Fresh air only came into this room through three narrow loopholes.

In 1992, a bridge was built to connect the inner and outer city walls, creating a fifth entrance for pedestrians.

What all defense towers have in common is that they strengthened the city walls and allowed a free field of fire on the attackers. The towers all stood at important points in the city, were connected to the battlements and increased the defensive power of the city.

Town hall tower

Town hall tower

The listed town hall tower at today's district court was built in 1522, six years after the second big city ​​fire , and had no defensive function. The crenellated, late Gothic tower was planned by Lienhard Gattringer and completed by Wolfgang Wieschitzberger. It was used to store the gunpowder and is located in the immediate vicinity of the former town hall and the sacristan's house. This enabled him to be well guarded.

Squares and streets

main square

The streets and squares were essentially laid out when the city was founded in the 13th century. Therefore, the streets mostly run parallel to the main square. The large, rectangular main square with an area of ​​6500 square meters is the actual core of the city and was laid out as a marketplace when the city was founded . From 1465 the Paulimarkt took place on this square; today the weekly fresh produce and farmers market is at home there.

There are some remarkable buildings in the Inn-Salzach style around the main square . The listed town hall was formerly owned by the Zinispan family and is the only three-story building on the square. The house next to it (in a northerly direction) is the only house in the city with battlements as a fire wall (today only painted on), with a typical ditch roof with gutter on the facade and adapted attic windows. In 1987 the facade was restored to its original 17th century form. It shows (now a little faded again) eight Habsburg coats of arms and has ten windows with painted borders. Opposite is the Piarist House , the seat of the Sparkasse, which stands out from the neighboring houses with a small tower. The houses to the left and right of Böhmergasse have stucco decorations from the 18th century. The close spatial arrangement of the church, Freyung and town hall (today's district court) next to each other was probably unique in Austria. Since 1501 the east choir of the parish church has stood in place of the Freyung . The square was not paved until the 20th century.

The baroque Marienbrunnen by Johann B. Spaz the Younger has stood in the middle of the main square since 1704. The water basin is octagonal; on a pillar stands Maria Immaculata, who has turned her gaze on the church. Four gargoyles adorn the fountain.

The following places are within the city walls:

The following streets are within the city walls:

Church institutions

There was never a cemetery within the city walls. The first cemetery was in St. Peter about three kilometers west of the city. Probably from 1345 the dead were buried in the cemetery around the Liebfrauenkirche , which is north of the Böhmertor, just outside the city walls. The dead have been buried in the cemetery south of the city since 1850 .

City parish church

The parish church is the only church within the city walls and was built at the highest point of the city. The Romanesque church was first mentioned in a document around 1288. In the 14th and 15th centuries it was Gothicized and expanded to a five-aisled basilica . In the baroque period the church was rebuilt again before the original Gothic was largely restored in 1967 . Today the parish church is the only five-aisled church in Austria .

Chapels

There were two small chapels in the house at Heiligengeistgasse No. 1 and in the house at Hauptplatz No. 15. The Holy Spirit Chapel was built in 1435 and profaned in 1785. The entrance and a window can still be seen on the outer wall. The second chapel was housed in the former Piarist house and was probably built after 1762 (house purchase by the Piarists) and removed around 1900 after they left Freistadt.

Dechanthof (vicarage)

The Dechanthof in Freistadt

The listed Dechanthof is a mighty, three-storey four-wing building around a rectangular courtyard. A partial renovation took place around 1600 and a redesign by Carlo Antonio Carlone at the end of the 17th century . The baroque facade dates from 1735 and was designed by Johann Michael Prunner . The former arcade in the east wing was walled up as part of the baroque redesign. Some of the interiors are equipped with lancet barrel vaults and groin vaults . Many rooms have stucco mirrors from the 18th and 19th centuries. The vestibule is Baroque, the southern staircase is late Gothic. The first big fire in the city started in 1507 at the Dechanthof, which cremated the entire city.

Town houses

House in Waaggasse 13
Arched gate of the house

The plot of land on which the 150  or so town houses were built is likely to have been determined when it was founded. It is believed that in the 13th century the plots were the same size. The originally Gothic houses of the citizens had three window axes, i.e. a width of around eight to ten meters. Over time, the houses were raised, enlarged backwards or neighboring houses were bought. So today there are houses with three, four, five and six window axes. All houses have a front to the alley and thus to public life.

Small doors are (rarely) visible between the houses, which in the Middle Ages served as access to the rows , that is, distances of 50 to 100 centimeters between the houses. From the 13th century it was the first sewer system and the excrement of the house residents had to be removed again and again. Although it has been fully preserved to this day, it is no longer in use. The entire old town is now equipped with a modern sewer system.

The wide gates at some town houses are also noticeable. Since many townspeople used to be farmers , these gates were used for the entry of the hay wagons into the inner courtyard. The stable with the barn and the tool shed was housed in the rear building. Great importance is attached to the six-part window shape. The window and door frames are made of stone and some spies have been preserved, small windows in a bay window that allowed a secret view of the alley. There are also 27 arcade courtyards in the city, three of which are open to the public.

The streets in Freistadt are consistently wide, which is due to the planned layout. However, there are two narrow, winding, medieval alleys, Schlossgasse and Schulgasse. The Schlossgasse is bridged by large archways at both ends. An originally third alley between Pfarr- and Schlossergasse was bricked up and is only partially visible.

The house Waaggasse 13 is one of the most beautiful houses in the city. It is a typical town house with several vaults on the ground floor. The protruding first floor sits on corbels and there is a fire wall above the second floor. The house has four remarkable components:

  • the deeply swept, Gothic arched gate,
  • the flat bay window on the first floor, which sits on eleven artfully crafted corbels,
  • the narrow, Gothic bay window in the side street (Altenhofgasse) and
  • the blinding frieze with unevenly alternating three- and four-pass tracery in 19 fields from the Gothic

The former town forge is the only house in the entire old town with an external staircase. This romantic house was once on the old trade route and is now privately owned. Right next to it, the former battlement at the Scheibling Tower was rebuilt a few years ago.

literature

Commons : Altstadt von Freistadt  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
  • Bundesdenkmalamt Austria (Ed.): Dehio -Handbuch, the art monuments of Austria. Topographical inventory of monuments. Department: Upper Austria. Volume 1: Peter Adam: Mühlviertel. Berger, Horn et al. 2003, ISBN 3-85028-362-3 , pp. 155ff.
  • Othmar Rappersberger: Freistadt - jewelry box of the Mühlviertel. Kunstverlag Hofstetter, Ried iI 1992.
  • Benno Ulm : Contribution to the history of the free city fortifications. In: Mühlviertler Heimatblätter. Vol. 3/4, 1968, online (PDF; 3.8 MB) in the forum OoeGeschichte.at

Video, films

Coordinates: 48 ° 30 ′ 41.6 ″  N , 14 ° 30 ′ 15.2 ″  E