Gates and towers of the Aachen city wall
The Aachen city wall covered not only the two circular walls , numerous individual structures along the city wall were arranged and served to their better defense. These primarily included the city gates and the defense towers . The inner ring had ten gates and ten towers, the outer eleven gates and twenty-three towers. In addition, the outer wall had several dungeons on sections between the gates and towers. Guard houses for the guards were built on the inside of the wall.
Only small parts of both walls and their numerous towers and city gates have been preserved. The two still preserved city gates, the Marschiertor and the Ponttor , were badly damaged in the Second World War , but could be restored. Of the towers, only the Lavenstein , the Pfaffenturm , the Lange Turm , the Marienturm and the small Adalbertsturm still exist .
Gates and towers
The following table lists the gates and towers of the Aachen city wall. The preset order of the structures corresponds to their arrangement in the wall ring. It starts with the respective main gate in the north, i.e. the Ponttor or Pont-Middle Gate. The display then continues clockwise. The display order can be changed at any time by clicking on the sort symbol to the right of the title of a column on the content of this column.
Inner city wall
The inner city wall (Barbarossamauer) had ten city gates and ten towers. Gates that corresponded to a gate of the same name in the outer city wall were given the suffix "medium" because they were located in the middle between the city center and the outer gate. Most of the gates were simple square towers with a gate passage and a drawbridge that led over the moat. The four main gates had outer gates ( barbican ) on the outside of the moat for better defense .
On the east side of the inner city wall, the city gates were relatively close to each other. On the west side, on the other hand, there were long walls without a gate, which were secured by additional towers. This additional defense was also necessary because the moat on this side could not be filled with water because of the terrain and therefore offered less protection than the moat on the east side. Some of these towers were simply shell or bulwark towers ; H. semicircular or rectangular projections of the city wall without wall termination on the city side. Others were semicircular or round full towers, there were no square towers in the inner city wall except for the city gates. Of the towers of the inner city wall, only the Templar tower by name has been handed down.
While there are still remains of the inner city wall itself, no gate or tower of this wall has been preserved.
Surname | Type | direction | location | Construction data | Remarks |
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Pont Middle Gate | Main gate | North northwest | Pontstrasse / Templergraben location |
with barbican | |
unknown | Round tower | North northwest | Hirschgraben location |
as protection for the only sharp kink in the city wall (caused by the already existing buildings ). | |
Neutor | Side gate | north | Neupforte / Hirsch- and Seilgraben location |
Demolished in 1764 | also served to guard the outflow of the Johannisbach from the city |
Cologne Central Gate | Main gate | Northeast | Großkölnstrasse / Mefferdatisstrasse location |
with barbican, largest gate of the inner wall | |
Besterdertor | Side gate | east | Büchel / Dahmen- and Holzgraben location |
Built in the middle of the 13th century, demolished in 1783 | |
Ursuline Gate | Side gate | East-Southeast | Ursulinerstraße / Holzgraben - Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz location |
Built in the middle of the 13th century | also called Aldegundistor or Adalbertsmittelor |
Harduinstor | Side gate | South southeast | Hartmannstrasse / Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz - Kapuzinergraben location |
Built in the middle of the 13th century | also called Hartmannstor |
Marching Center Gate | Main gate | south | Kleinmarschierstraße / Kapuziner- and Alexianergraben location |
First mentioned in 1215, demolished at the end of the 16th century | also called Burtscheider Mitteltor, with barbican, here part of the water of the Pau was channeled into the city moat |
Shear gate | Side gate | southwest | Annastraße / Alexianer- and Löhrgraben location |
the only city gate in the inner wall with two round towers connected by a central building | |
unknown | Shell tower | southwest | Löhrgraben location |
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unknown | Round tower | West southwest | Löhrgraben location |
also served to guard the entry of the Pau into the city | |
Jacob's Middle Gate | Main gate | West southwest | Jakobstrasse / Löhr- and Karlsgraben location |
Demolished at the end of the 16th century | with barbican |
unknown | Round tower | West southwest | Karlsgraben location |
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unknown | Round tower | west | Karlsgraben location |
also served to guard the inlet of the Johannisbach into the city | |
King's Middle Gate | Side gate | west | Königstrasse / Karls- und Templergraben location |
Demolished in 1783 | |
unknown | Round tower | West northwest | Templergraben location |
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unknown | Shell tower | West northwest | Templergraben location |
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unknown | Shell tower | West northwest | Templergraben location |
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unknown | Semicircular tower | northwest | Templergraben location |
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Templar tower | Semicircular tower | northwest | Templergraben location |
2. H. d. Demolished in the 18th century | Arched frieze under the eaves |
Outer city wall
The outer city wall had eleven city gates, including four main gates, as with the inner city wall, and twenty-three towers. Occasionally the water tower with the name water gate is also called the city gate to allude to the twelve gates of the heavenly Jerusalem.
Except for the Vaalser Tor, all of these gates had front gates ( barbican ) that were connected to the actual gate via a stone bridge that led over the moat. As can still be seen at the Ponttor, these bridges were protected on the sides by crenellated walls.
Since the outer city wall was about twice as long as the inner one with about the same number of gates, towers were also arranged between the individual gates on the east side. But also with the outer wall ring, the towers were concentrated on the west side for the reasons already mentioned for the inner city wall, especially in the northwest, where there were six towers between the Königstor and Ponttor. As with the inner city wall, there were also bulwark towers and full towers on the outer city wall. In addition to the semicircular and round full towers, there were also those with a square floor plan.
Surname | Type | direction | location | Construction data | Remarks | image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ponttor | Main gate | North northwest | Pontstrasse / Pontwall - Saarstrasse location |
First mentioned in 1320 | the only completely preserved city gate | |
Marienturm | Round tower with rectangular porch | north | Ludwigsallee location |
Erected in 1512 on the site of the former Breuer tower | preserved, served as a gun turret, today a memorial for those who died in the world wars | |
Mountain gate | Side gate | north | Bergstrasse / Ludwigsallee location |
Reduced in size in the 17th century, already in ruins in the 18th century | ||
Bergerschanzturm | semicircular bulwark | North northeast | Ludwigsallee location |
Protection for mountain gate | ||
Sandkaultor | Side gate | North northeast | Sandkaulstrasse / Saarstrasse - Monheimsallee location |
Demolished in 1811 | highest tower of the city gates of Aachen | |
Heinzenturm | Round tower | Northeast | Heinzenstrasse / Monheimsallee location |
reinforced walls | ||
Schanzenchen | square bulwark | East northeast | Monheimsallee location |
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Kölntor | Main gate | East northeast | Alexanderstraße / Hansemannplatz location |
First mentioned in 1320, demolition began in 1807 | most beautiful city gate | |
Water tower | Square tower | east | Heinrichsallee location |
occasionally also referred to as a water gate, was used to monitor the water drainage from the city | ||
Adalbertsturm | Round tower | East-Southeast | Kaiserplatz / Heinrichsallee location |
Almost completely preserved, only the roof and parts of the upper masonry are missing | ||
Adalbertstor | Side gate | East-Southeast | Kaiserplatz / Beeckstrasse location |
First mentioned in 1322 | ||
Red ball tower | East-Southeast | Beeckstrasse location |
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Powder turret | semicircular bulwark | Southeast | Beeckstrasse location |
served as a powder store | ||
Shield tower | semicircular bulwark | Southeast | Schützenstrasse location |
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Wirichsbongardstor | Side gate | Southeast | Theaterstrasse / Wallstrasse location |
converted into a windmill, later demolished | ||
Krichelenturm | square bulwark | South southeast | Wallstrasse location |
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Marching Gate | Main gate | south | Franzstrasse / Wallstrasse - Boxgraben location |
First mentioned in 1320 | also called Burtscheider Tor, one of the largest archways in Europe, main building preserved, front gate not | |
Small pounel tower | Semicircular tower | south | Pit trench location |
First mentioned in 1696, demolished at the end of the 18th century | only one storey | |
Big pounel tower | Square tower | south | Karmeliterstraße / Boxgraben location |
First mentioned in 1444, partial demolition in 1611, demolition up to the height of the wall in 1782, completely demolished at the end of the 19th century | also served to monitor the entry of the Paunell into the city, stones from the partial demolition in the 17th century used to build the tower of the Jesuit church St. Michael | |
Karlsturm | semicircular bulwark | South southwest | Krakaustraße / Boxgraben location |
Demolished in 1823 | ||
Rostor | Side gate | South southwest | Hubertusplatz / Boxgraben location |
First mentioned in 1346, demolished in 1799 | also served to monitor the entry of the Pau into the city | |
Lavenstein | Round tower | southwest | Hubertusstraße / Boxgraben location |
preserved, used as an ice cellar in the 19th century | ||
Jakobstor | Main gate | southwest | Jakobstraße / Boxgraben - At the Schanz location |
First mentioned in 1320, beg. Demolished in the 19th century | unusually high front gate with a throwing machine on the flat roof | |
Liège ski jump | Kennel wall | southwest | At the Schanz location |
only place with a fence wall in front of the Aachen city wall | (see Jakobsstor) | |
Tower with no name | Square tower | southwest | At the Schanz location |
Defense of the Liège Schanze from the wall ring | (see Jakobsstor) | |
Eyerkeil tower | Round tower | southwest | At the Schanz location |
Defense of the Liège Schanze from the front wall | ||
Junkerstor |
Side gate | West southwest | Vaalser Straße / Mauerstraße location |
Demolished in 1829 | also called Vaals Gate, the only gate without a front gate | |
Pfaff tower | Round tower | West southwest | Lochnerstrasse / Junkerstrasse location |
Built 1442–1456 | preserved, escape bastion, also served to monitor the inlet of the Johannisbach into the city | |
King's Gate | Side gate | west | Koenigstrasse / Junkerstrasse location |
First mentioned in 1320, beg. Demolished in the 19th century | ||
Long tower | Semicircular tower | west | Turmstrasse location |
Beginning Built in the 14th century | preserved, stood on the highest point of the outer wall ring, served as a fire tower and powder store, hence also called the powder tower | |
Burtscheider Tower | Semicircular tower | West northwest | Turmstrasse location |
Beginning 14th century built, early Demolished in the 19th century | ||
Beguinenturm | semicircular bulwark | West northwest | Turmstrasse location |
Beginning 14th century built, early Demolished in the 19th century | ||
Gregoriusturm | Round tower with rectangular porch | northwest | Turmstrasse location |
1810 demolished to the top of the wall, completely demolished in 1850 | most stable defense tower in Aachen | |
Bongart tower | semicircular bulwark | northwest | Turmstrasse location |
Protection for Ponttor | ||
Crutch tower | Semicircular tower | North northwest | Pontwall location |
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b ATUATUKA: Caesar's legion camp in Aachen; From Prof. Dr. Axel Hausmann; 2001 ( online excerpt as pdf )
literature
- Bruno Lerho: The great Aachen city wall with gates and towers . Helios Verlag, Aachen 2006, ISBN 3-938208-37-6 .
- Carl Rhoen : The fortifications of the free imperial city of Aachen . Anton Creutzer, Aachen 1894, urn : nbn: de: hbz: 061: 1-230540 ( ISL Aachen [PDF; accessed on May 7, 2016]).