Karlsturm (Aachen)
The Karlsturm (also called Krakauturm ) was a defense tower of the outer city wall of the city of Aachen, built around 1300 to 1350 . It is no longer preserved.
location
The Karlsturm stood in the south-southwest of the outer ring of the wall between Marschiertor and Rostor , roughly at the confluence of Krakaustraße and Boxgraben. The Great Pounell Tower and the Small Pounell Tower were located between the Karlsturm and the Marschiertor , and there was no other tower between the Karlsturm and the Rostor.
history
The construction date of the Karlsturm is not known. In the 16th century the tower was also called Mareelenturm, because a Mareel family had their seat there. In January 1823 the mayor of Aachen gave the order to demolish it.
description
The Karlsturm was a semicircular bulwark with straight legs. It was 11.40 m wide and 8 m deep.
The tower was two-story. Both floors were vaulted with a semi-domed vault, which merged into a barrel vault over the extended legs. The ground floor had loopholes for archers and crossbowmen , while the upper floor had wider shooting hatches, which could be closed by wooden flaps, for the use of guns such as B. Ballista .
The roof consisted of half a cone roof and then turned into a gable roof . There were a number of small window openings under the approach of the half-cone roof.
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 ( ISL Aachen [PDF; accessed on May 7, 2016]).
See also
Coordinates: 50 ° 46 ′ 7.9 ″ N , 6 ° 4 ′ 53 ″ E