Frankenturm (Trier)
The Frankenturm is a well-fortified residential tower in the city of Trier . It is on Dietrichstrasse near the main market in the center of the city.
The Frankenturm was built in the 11th century and was named after one of its 14th century residents, Franco von Senheim . The wall technology of the building consciously imitates the appearance of Roman ruins, which at that time were still visible in large numbers in Trier. For the construction of the tower, material from Roman buildings was also obtained, in addition to bricks, a stone from a tomb from the 2nd century, which was used as a lintel. The preserved inscription on the upside-down walled up spoiler reads … BI ET AMA… AE SE… CONIUG… VIS FEC… and is translated with … for himself and for Amandia Seva (Seura?), His wife, during both lifetimes . The original entrance was high above the ground and could only be reached via an external wooden staircase (the large gate on the ground floor of the tower that exists today comes from a later period), the staircase could be raised in the event of a defense.
This defensive nature of individual buildings indicates an incomplete and therefore no longer functional city fortification during this time. In Trier there were probably seven or eight such well-fortified residential towers, of which, besides the Frankenturm, only the Jerusalem tower and the Dreikönigenhaus have largely survived; the rest could only be proven through remains incorporated into later buildings or only archaeological findings.
The Frankenturm served the ministerials who were in the service of the archbishop as a residential tower. Originally it was five stories high. In 1308, however, it was demolished to two and a half floors and given a pent roof. In 1938/39 it was restored and covered with slate . A Nazi state youth home was planned here, but this was no longer realized. The interior of the tower remained in its shell condition. Since the last house attached to the tower was demolished after the Second World War, it is now free on all sides again.
In 2005 the roof drainage and the roof were repaired and some renovation work was carried out.
After the tower had been empty for a long time and could only be viewed from the outside, the long-planned renovation, financed by private donations, was symbolically started on July 14, 2006 with a solemn "storming" of the tower. During the renovation of the tower, the necessary fixtures and fittings such as stairs and toilets were deliberately created in modern shapes and materials and the masonry of the tower was left unchanged. This means that historical and new components can be clearly distinguished from one another, and the traces of time remain legible.
On April 14, 2007, the Frankenturm was reopened as part of a community festival. Today it serves on the one hand as a starting point for adventure tours of the Tourist Information Trier and can be rented from them for events or conferences.
Drawing by D. Wirtz, 1806
State around 1900, before the reconstruction
Upside down spoil of a Roman gravestone as a lintel on the east side
Map of the fortified residential complexes in the high medieval Trier
See also
literature
- Lukas Clemens : Trier around 1120. Prolegomena to attempt a city reconstruction . In: Finds and excavations in the district of Trier 30 (1998), pp. 91-108.
- Franz-Josef Knöchel: Fortified residential complexes in medieval Trier . In: Kurtrierisches Jahrbuch 42 (2002), pp. 85–103 (“Frankenturm”: pp. 89–91, online ; PDF; 1.1 MB).
- Jens Fachbach / Stefan Heinz / Georg Schelbert / Andreas Tacke (eds.): Architekturführer Trier , Petersberg 2014, pp. 11–12 u. 118-119.
Web links
- Frankenturm around 1840 from the panorama of Trier and its surroundings (around 1840) via dilibri
- Tourist Information Trier Frankenturm
- Entry on Frankenturm in Dietrichstrasse in the " KuLaDig " database of the Rhineland Regional Council
Coordinates: 49 ° 45 ′ 25 ″ N , 6 ° 38 ′ 22 ″ E