Königsturm (Schwäbisch Gmünd)
The Königsturm was an element in the southern part of the outer city fortifications of Schwäbisch Gmünd . Due to its elevated position on the slope of the Zeiselberg and its height of over 40 meters, it is a prominent point in the cityscape of the old town .
history
With its shape and height of over 40 meters and the thickness of its outer walls with 2.6 meters, the Königsturm occupies a special position among the Gmünder city towers. It was built between 1405 and 1407 at the beginning of the 15th century. The first documentary evidence of the defense tower is dated to 1502. Lightning strikes are recorded for 1530 and 1531, which also led to a roof fire in 1530. In 1569, the Königsturm was partially rebuilt, using new materials and old beams , probably from the construction period. These repairs could be related to the fighting and siege at the time of the Schmalkaldic War . Repairs were necessary again in 1617 after lightning struck the tower again.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the royal tower was used as a prison . The plaster incisions in the basement, which are dated to 1660 and 1665, also date from this period.
The tower, which also served as a fire watch tower, was inhabited until the middle of the 20th century. In 1975 the Alt-Gmünd association took on the tower, which was in poor condition at the time, and renovated it between 1975 and 1982. In 1976, Hans Häfele from Geislingen an der Steige built a new entrance door based on the one on the Kaiserburg Nuremberg created. In 1982 a new external staircase was added. The association makes the tower accessible to visitors to this day. In the spring of 2015, after large open spaces had been created in the neighborhood by demolition work, cleaning and repair work was carried out on the tower with a lifting platform .
Bell jar
The current bell was cast in 1975/1976 and installed on the top of the King's Tower. The previous suspension with weather vane was transferred to the museum in the Prediger in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The new bell replaced a bell made by Heinrich Kurtz from Stuttgart , which was cast in 1855 and was therefore significantly younger than the bell of the five-button tower (from 1531), also released in 1942 . The bell dispensed had a height of 48 cm and a diameter of 57 cm. It bore the inscription: cast by Heinrich Kurtz in Stuttgart 1855 .
The bells on these city towers were used as fire bells, mainly to draw attention to a fire.
Bell on the King's Tower
Historical illustration from 1887 by Paulus / Stieler, Aus Schwaben, 1887
literature
- Richard Strobel, State Monuments Office Baden Württemberg: The art monuments of the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd . Volume 1, City Building History, City Fortifications, Heiligkreuzmünster; Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 2003; ISBN 3-422-06381-1 , pp. 136-140.
Web links
- Königsturm on schwaebisch-gmuend.de
- Blog post by Klaus Graf
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article Dizzying spring cleaning on the Königsturm from April 28, 2015 on remszeitung.de .
Coordinates: 48 ° 47 ′ 55.8 " N , 9 ° 48 ′ 2.5" E