Big pounel tower
The Great Pounellen or Paunell Tower was a defensive tower of the outer city wall of the city of Aachen, which was built between 1300 and 1350 . It is no longer preserved.
location
The Great Pounell Tower stood in the south of the outer wall ring between Marschiertor and Rostor at the end of Pounellengasse (today Karmeliterstraße, just before Boxgraben). At this point the Paunell flowed under the tower into the city. Between the Great Pounell Tower and the Marschiertor still stood the Small Pounell Tower , between the Great Pounell Tower and the Rostor the Karlsturm .
history
The Great Pounell Tower was first mentioned in a document in 1444. It was partially demolished as early as 1611 to 1614. The stones were used to build the tower of the Jesuit Church of St. Michael. In 1782 another partial demolition took place up to the height of the wall crown. The tower was completely demolished at the end of the 19th century when the southern quarter was being developed.
description
The Great Pounell Tower had a rectangular floor plan with a width of 13.50 m and a depth of 12.30 m. The tower had three floors, which were connected by a spiral staircase.
The three rooms on the first floor had barrel vaults. The eastern room served as a waking dream, while the Paunell flowed through the western room. From the middle room a door, the so-called “Hahnepörtzje” (Hahnentörchen), led to the outside of the wall, from where a small bridge over the city moat led to the adjacent fields.
The first and second floors each had two rooms. On the first floor there were loopholes for archers and crossbowmen , while on the second floor there were wider shooting hatches, which could be closed by wooden flaps, for the use of artillery such as guns. B. Ballista . From the second floor a weir bay jutted outwards. A steep spire sat on the second floor .
legend
According to legend, after driving away a witch allied with him, the devil drove into the Great Pounell Tower with such force that it collapsed above him and a constant moaning and whimpering could be heard under the rubble lying in the Paunell. Since it was assumed that the devil would be banished forever under the pounell tower, the saying “that happens when the devil comes from the pounell tower” arose, which meant more than ever.
See also
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 ( Online [PDF; accessed on May 7, 2016]).
- Ludwig Bechstein: The devil in the Ponellenturm. In: Deutsches Sagenbuch. Zeno.org, accessed May 12, 2009 .
Coordinates: 50 ° 46 '7.5 " N , 6 ° 5' 2.6" E