Gautor (Oppenheim)
The Gautor in Rheinhessen Oppenheim in Rheinland-Pfalz dates back to the 13th century and is the only one still fully preserved gate of the medieval fortification . Its current appearance largely corresponds to the appearance that it received after its destruction and reconstruction in 1566.
history
The Oppenheimer Gautor bears this name because it once served as a connection from the city to the Gau ( Old High German for landscape ). It was built in the late Romanesque style in the early 13th century and secured the western exit of the city and the road to Dexheim . Oppenheim was promoted to a Free Imperial City in 1225 . In addition to this inner Gautor there was also an outer one, which was also called the "blue hat", but has now completely disappeared.
In 1566 the Gautor was rebuilt for the first time after being destroyed (an inscription on the city side of the gate names Heinrich Blir as the builder). After Oppenheim had been destroyed several times in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and the War of the Palatinate Succession (1688–1697), the Gautor was rebuilt in 1724. In the 18th century , however, the gate increasingly lost its military importance and served as a prison from 1747. In 1912 the building was completely renovated and rebuilt, and it housed the Oppenheim City Archives until 1994.
Since 1994 the office of the Association of Oppenheimer Traders has been housed in the Gautor . The gate and the other remains of the former city walls stand as the entire system under monument protection .
See also
Web links
- City fortifications and Gautor on Regionalgeschichte.net.
- The city fortifications and the author of Oppenheim in the directory of cultural monuments in the Mainz-Bingen district (PDF; 1.6 MB)
Coordinates: 49 ° 51 '8.1 " N , 8 ° 21' 10.21" E