Karlstor (St. Gallen)
The Karlstor ( , also Abtstor ) is the only remaining city gate from the medieval city wall of the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland . It was built in 1569 and 1570.
history
Since the city of St. Gallen achieved independence from the empire (in the course of the 14th century), its history has been strongly shaped by the continually flaring up conflicts between the city and the abbot.
Abbot Ulrich Rösch had already called for a separate gate in the common city wall in the conflict with the city, but his project failed.
After Joachim von Watt (Vadian) had implemented the Reformation in St. Gallen in 1526 , the city was now even more clearly separated. The city itself had adopted the new faith, while the St. Gallen monastery remained the center of the Catholic areas of the prince abbey . The monastery and the city were protected by the same city walls and the prince had to leave the city through the city gates to enter his territory. This led to even deeper conflicts between the parties, and both the city and the abbot hardly missed an opportunity to complain about the other side.
It was not until 1566 that the city and the abbey were able to reach an amicable solution through the mediation of federal arbitrators. In the so-called Treaty of Wil , Abbot Otmar Kunz received the right to break his own gate into the city wall, including a drawbridge and a kennel . The same contract also stipulated that the courtyard gate in the partition wall between the abbey and the city should be rebuilt and provided with two gates and two locks. The abbot and the mayor would each receive a key. In return, the abbot had to finally renounce all rights over the city.
Construction of the new gate in the south-eastern section of the city wall began the following year. Instead of a drawbridge, however, only a narrow dam was built with a wooden bridge over the Steinach, which at that time was still open here . The existing documents also do not show that the Zwinger was ever built; it is missing on all existing city drawings.
use
The chambers above the Karlstor have probably been used as a prison since the 17th century. This has been documented since 1812, but those texts refer back to the past. It is reported that at that time after the founding of the Canton of St. Gallen, the prison was expanded and adapted to the new requirements for the prisoners' health.
Another restoration took place in 1930. In 1960 the houses to the north were partially demolished and replaced by new buildings, which to this day contain the main station of the St. Gallen cantonal police. The cells above the Karlstor now serve as a remand prison.
Surname
The goal initially was called New Gate , Gotteshaustor or Abtstor because it served the abbot and his retinue to enter and exit the city. It owes its current name to the Milanese Cardinal and Archbishop Karl Borromeo , who visited St. Gallen Monastery on August 26th and 27th, 1570 and was the first high cleric to break into the city through this new gate.
architecture
Construction of the gate began in April 1569; the builder was Carolus Briegel. It was presumably completed in August of the following year. Above the ogival passage there are three rows of narrow windows, which were probably installed there when these three floors were converted into a prison. There is another row of windows in the gable roof . The most striking feature of the gate is the large stone relief that decorates the upper two floors of the east facade. There are also two stone lion heads to the left and right of the gate.
relief
The relief was created by the stonemason Baltus von Seilmannsweiler (Salem). In the upper part there is a depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus , with Mary and John at his side. The scene is flanked by the coat of arms of Pope Pius IV Medici and the imperial coat of arms of Emperor Maximilian II as a symbol of the abbey's imperial freedom.
In the middle part we find the coat of arms of Otmar , the first abbot and founder of the monastery. On the right side there is a representation of this saint with his attribute, the wine barrel. On the left you can see Gallus with the bear, founder of the first settlement on the Steinach and namesake of the city.
At the bottom, two reclining lions and some intertwined ribbons adorn the console of the relief. In the middle, you can see a rather small crouched man with harem pants, hammer and chisel and a coat of arms. It should be a self-portrait of the artist.
The extraordinary work of art was almost destroyed in the turmoil of revolution and Helvetism at the end of the 18th century. During this time, a second iconoclasm was launched with "republican zeal" - the first had taken place at the time of the Reformation - which was supposed to remove all symbols and coats of arms of the aristocracy. Georg Leonhard Hartmann, historian from St. Gallen, successfully opposed the “uneducated government commissioner Erlacher von Basel”. This success is considered unique in the history of monument protection.
Surroundings
Outside the gate there is a staircase that leads down to Moosbruggstrasse, under which the Steinach runs today. Opposite is the Gallusschulhaus (girls' schoolhouse ) of the KKSS . The old city wall with its embedded houses is intact to the left and right of the passage, and a glass dome built by Santiago Calatrava covers the cantonal emergency call center.
Inside the gate is the so-called "Pfalz" with the government building of the canton. Below the square just behind the gate is the new Pfalzkeller, which is used for receptions and concerts. During its construction, as has already been the case several times during construction work in this area, various skeletons were found, because the ground served as a cemetery in the 9th and 10th centuries.
See also
- List of the city gates of the city of St. Gallen
- History of the city of St. Gallen
- Prince Abbey of St. Gallen
Individual evidence
- ^ The narrator, May 29, 1812, p. 109
- ↑ Fragrance, Johannes ; The St. Gallen Abbey, Contributions to the Baroque Age; Sigmaringen 1994. Vol. III. P. 115.
- ^ Hartmann, Daniel Wilhelm; Draft of an art history for the city of St. Gallen; St. Gallen; Manuscript in the St. Gallen Cantonal Library, call number S 350a
- ^ Rölin, Peter; St. Gallen, city change and city experience in the 19th century, city between home and foreign, tradition and progress; St. Gallen 1981
literature
- Ernst Ziegler, city archivist of St. Gallen: The gates of the city of St. Gallen ; Published by the local community of St. Gallen; Sabon-Verlag, St. Gallen; ISBN 3-907928-27-X
- Johannes Duft , Abbey Librarian: The St. Gallen Abbey ; Sigmaringen 1994, Vol. III
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 25 '24.9 " N , 9 ° 22' 44.2" E ; CH1903: 746393 / 254342