Falcon tower

This article explains the construction in Munich, for the Falkenturm in Salzburg see Kupelwieser-Schlössl .

Painting by an unknown artist (Münchner Stadtmuseum)

The falcon tower, painting by Heinrich Schönfeld , 1840

Kosttor (left) and Falkenturm (right) based on Sandtner's city model

The Falkenturm was a tower in the second city wall of Munich . It served as a prison until 1826 .

location

The location of the Falkenturm was near today's Maximilianstrasse, opposite today's National Theater . The Falkenturmstrasse begins around this point. The Pfisterbach ran immediately to the west of the falcon tower; on a water bridge he was led across the moat. To the east of the falcon tower was the food gate .

history

The falcon tower was first mentioned in a document in 1470 as the “Valckner turn” when Duke Siegmund gave it to his younger brother and successor, Duke Albrecht IV . Its name comes from the fact that it was used to store utensils for falcon hunting and training.

From around 1500 the tower served as a ducal prison for members of the higher classes. It remained a prison until the Angerfronfeste was built in 1826 .

In the falcon tower, actors of important events in Bavarian history were imprisoned; so in 1564 Pankraz von Freyberg and other accused of the Bavarian aristocratic conspiracy , later Johann Jäger , a leader of the Bavarian popular uprising of 1705.

The tower was demolished in 1863 as part of the construction of Maximilianstrasse . At the end of 2010, remnants of the Munich city fortifications were found on a property in the immediate vicinity; a 15-meter-long piece of the city wall and a smaller piece of the Zwingermauer were uncovered, some of the finds are to be preserved and made accessible.

description

The tower had a hipped roof . At the end of the wall there were bay windows at eaves level that stretched across the entire width; they were later removed. Two front towers stood on the outside of the city fortifications in front of the falcon tower.

literature

• Hans Dollinger (Ed.): The Munich street names. Südwest, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-517-06115-8 .
• Michael Kunze : Road into the fire. About life and death in the time of the witch madness . Knaur, Munich 1982, ISBN 3-426-01189-1 .
• Helmuth Stahleder : House and street names in Munich's old town . Hugendubel, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-88034-640-2 , p. 568-571 .

Web links

Commons : Falcon Tower  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Thomas Gautier: The Wittelsbacher Wall: This is how it looks! A piece of the city wall that is at least 700 years old will be exposed right on Maximilianstrasse. It will remain with the people of Munich - as city history behind glass . In: Abendzeitung from January 22, 2014, p. 8

Coordinates: 48 ° 8 ′ 19.7 "  N , 11 ° 34 ′ 47.8"  E